University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center Joins as a Key Strategic Partner and Charter Member

Kansas City, Missouri & Cleveland, Ohio--The Cardiometabolic Center Alliance (CMCA), founded by Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute is pleased to announce the addition of University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center as Key Strategic Partner and Charter Member.

As a coalition that seeks to establish Cardiometabolic Centers of Excellence nationwide aimed at transforming the treatment of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and related cardiovascular (CV) and renal comorbidities, the CMCA considers University Hospitals (UH) a large integrated health system based in Cleveland, Ohio a key member of the Alliance.

“The goal of the Cardiometabolic Center Alliance is building on our existing success in Kansas City by working collaboratively with our member organizations to replicate and refine our novel clinical care delivery model, with the overarching objective of lessening the adverse impact of diabetes and it’s most common and morbid complications – cardiovascular and kidney disease - on patients’ lives,” said Dr. Mikhail Kosiborod, Cardiometabolic Center Alliance Executive Director. “The addition of UH as a Strategic Partner and Charter Member of the CMCA is an essential step in meeting our mission of improving the quality of care and outcomes of patients with cardiometabolic disease, so they can live longer, healthier, and more active lives, no matter where they live”.

Founded in 1866, University Hospitals serves the needs of patients through an integrated network of 18 hospitals, more than 50 health centers and outpatient facilities, and 200 physician offices in 16 counties throughout northern Ohio. The system’s flagship academic medical center, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, located in Cleveland’s University Circle, is affiliated with Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

“We are excited to be a part of this national alliance that will pave the way for new treatments and approaches to manage patients with cardiometabolic disorders,” said Sanjay Rajagopalan, MD, Chief of Cardiovascular Medicine at UH Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute. “Cardiologists are uniquely positioned to assist with the seismic shift occurring in the landscape of care for diabetes and cardiovascular complications. However, these diseases require a large degree of collaboration with other specialties. In order to provide the highest quality of care for patients, it’s important that we take a multidisciplinary team approach and intervene early.”

Through personalized medicine and research collaborations, such as UH and CMCA, enhancements can be made for detecting disease early, developing therapeutics for treatment, and refining technology-based approaches to improve patients’ lives.

“At UH, we are focused on providing the best value for our patients,” said Peter Pronovost, MD, PhD, Chief Clinical Transformation Officer at UH. “This unique alliance will help us track treatment patterns and quality of care, and will help us transform care delivery for patients at risk for future complications.”

Alliance members will adopt and implement a novel care model designed and successfully implemented by Saint Luke’s Michael & Marlys Haverty Cardiometabolic Center of Excellence in Kansas City, MO. Based on the initial data, under this model the rates of optimal guideline-directed medical therapy substantially increased over the national average, ensuring that patients with T2D receive care that is aimed at both optimizing diabetes management and providing comprehensive cardiovascular risk reduction with therapies proven to improve outcomes. These results are made possible by a unified team of clinicians from across the disease continuum, who focus on holistic, guideline-directed preventative care. Through their participation, Alliance members will also contribute to a national registry that will track treatment patterns and quality of care. As the Alliance enhances its capabilities, improves processes, and expands research opportunities on a national scale, the ultimate goal is improved patient outcomes.

About University Hospitals / Cleveland, Ohio

University Hospitals also includes University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, ranked among the top children’s hospitals in the nation; University Hospitals MacDonald Women's Hospital, Ohio's only hospital for women; University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute, a high-volume national referral center for complex cardiovascular procedures; and University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center, part of the NCI-designated Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. UH is home to some of the most prestigious clinical and research programs in the nation, including cancer, pediatrics, women's health, orthopedics, radiology, neuroscience, cardiology and cardiovascular surgery, digestive health, transplantation and urology. UH Cleveland Medical Center is perennially among the highest performers in national ranking surveys, including “America’s Best Hospitals” from U.S. News & World Report. UH is also home to Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals – part of The Harrington Project for Discovery & Development. UH is one of the largest employers in Northeast Ohio with 28,000 physicians and employees. Advancing the Science of Health and the Art of Compassion is UH’s vision for benefitting its patients into the future, and the organization’s unwavering mission is To Heal. To Teach. To Discover. Follow UH on LinkedIn, Facebook @UniversityHospitals and Twitter @UHhospitals. For more information, visit UHhospitals.org.