Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, a leading multidisciplinary acute-care hospital, almost tripled its capacity since it opened in 2015, employing more than 2,900 caregivers, and having had more than 337,000 patient encounters by year-end 2016.

 Of the total 51,673 unique patients served by the hospital, 75 per cent were UAE nationals, 23 per cent were expatriates, and 2 per cent were international patients, it said in its first edition of its ‘State of the Clinic’ annual report, a publication that documents the hospital’s yearly activities and milestones.

By year-end 2016, 249 physicians worked at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, all with North American (or equivalent) board certification, and with 82 per cent of institute chiefs having had experience working in Cleveland Clinic in the US.

In 2016 alone, physicians at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi received 285,000 outpatient visits and more than 39,000 Emergency visits, completed over 9,200 surgical cases, and had 5,400 hospital admissions. The hospital continues to expand its partnerships with insurance providers, as well as its unique ‘same-day’ appointment service, which yielded 70,575 same-day visits in 2016, to offer more patients access to its globally-recognized Cleveland Clinic calibre of care.

Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi is composed of 13 Institutes designed to put Patients First and align with the region’s specific healthcare needs. In all, more than 30 medical and surgical specialties are represented at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi and integrated to offer patients coordinated, multidisciplinary care for adult patients. The state-of-the-art facility is the result of an agreement signed in 2006 between the Mubadala Investment Company and US-based Cleveland Clinic Foundation, in support of the Abu Dhabi government’s Economic Vision 2030 to develop a robust healthcare sector in the Emirate.

Waleed Al Mokarrab Al Muhairi, chairman of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, and deputy Group CEO and chief executive officer, Investments & Infrastructure, Mubadala, said: “2016 was a landmark year for Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, as we built upon our commitment to the people of the UAE to deliver compassionate, patient-centred care of the highest quality. With a strong foundation now in place, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi can now continue to grow and serve more patients within Abu Dhabi, as well as the UAE and across the region, working alongside the other world-class assets in Mubadala’s healthcare network.

“I am confident that by complementing the existing healthcare infrastructure that the wise leadership of the UAE has put in place, and understanding our role in the wider national strategy, we will be able to succeed in delivering sustainable, high-quality healthcare for the whole country.”

Dr Tomislav Mihaljevic, CEO of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, said: “Our mission continues to be bringing the highest international standards of care close to home, so that patients in Abu Dhabi, the UAE and across the region can have seamless access to the latest and most advanced forms of treatment.

“If we are to deliver on our promise to patients, we need every Caregiver to live up to his or her responsibilities every day and every moment. This is why the ‘State of the Clinic’ report focuses on all aspects of daily life within the Clinic – from breakthroughs in advanced surgery to quality and safety. We measure our performance in all areas because we understand that we need to deliver excellence in every step of the patient journey.

“Looking forward, we will continue to improve access to care for as many people as possible, both within the UAE and internationally. We will grow inpatient and outpatient volumes and strive to achieve full capacity. We will continue to collaborate with local healthcare providers, and, above all, we will uphold our promise of delivering the globally recognized Cleveland Clinic calibre of care.”

In 2016, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi saw a planned and staged growth in bed capacity, reaching 250 beds by year-end, and with plans to reach its target capacity of 364 beds by end of 2017. The hospital’s maximum capacity is 490 beds.

Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi also continued to launch a number of unique services across the hospital’s Institutes, including the region’s first comprehensive remote monitoring program for patients with cardiac implants (the Heart & Vascular Institute), a comprehensive epilepsy program that allows patients to be monitored 24/7 by specialist physicians at both Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi and Cleveland Clinic’s main campus in Ohio (the Neurological Institute), a dedicated multidisciplinary clinic for the treatment of Irritable Bowel Disease (the Digestive Disease Institute), and paediatric ophthalmology (the Eye Institute).

The hospital’s Emergency Medical Institute also surpassed global Emergency Room performance benchmarks, with an average door-to-doctor time of 10 minutes, well ahead of the international target of 28 minutes. In 2016, the Institute received nearly 40,000 visits, with a daily average of 110 by year-end. The Emergency Medical Institute also serves as the designated stroke and chest pain centre in Abu Dhabi, offering patients around-the-clock access to consultant-level physicians.

As part of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s commitment to healthcare sustainability, the hospital has partnered with a number of academic institutions, including Khalifa University, the Fatima College of Health Sciences, the Higher Colleges of Technology, NYU Abu Dhabi, UAE University, and Zayed University, to help drive research, education, and innovation. The hospital is also set to start the first round of its UAE-based internship programs, helping to build the academic environment that will nurture the next generation of Emirati Caregivers. – TradeArabia News Service