Skip to main content
Subscribe
  • Login
  • My Account
  • Logout
  • Register For Free
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Current News
    • Providers
    • Insurance
    • Government
    • Finance
    • Technology
    • Safety & Quality
    • Digital Health
    • Transformation
    • ESG
    • People
    • Regional News
    • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Patients
    • Operations
    • Care Delivery
    • Payment
    • Midwest
    • Northeast
    • South
    • West
  • Blogs
    • AI
    • Deals
    • Layoff Tracker
    • HLTH 2024
    • Sponsored Content: Vital Signs Blog
  • Opinion
    • Letters
    • From the Editor
  • Events & Awards
    • Awards
    • Conferences
    • Galas
    • Virtual Briefings
    • Webinars
    • Nominate/Eligibility
    • 100 Most Influential People
    • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
    • 40 Under 40
    • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
    • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
    • Innovators Awards
    • Diversity Leaders
    • Leading Women
    • Best in Business Awards
    • The 2030 Playbook Conference
    • Innovations in Patient Experience
    • Leading Women Conference & Awards Luncheon
    • Leadership Summit
    • Workforce Summit
    • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
    • Diversity Leaders Gala
    • - Looking Ahead to 2025
    • - Financial Growth
    • - Hospital of the Future
    • - Value Based Care
    • - Looking Ahead to 2026
  • Multimedia
    • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
    • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
    • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
    • Sponsored Video Series - Checking In with Dan Peres
  • Data & Insights
    • Data & Insights Home
    • Hospital Financials
    • Staffing & Compensation
    • Quality & Safety
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Skilled Nursing Facilities
    • Data Archive
    • Resource Guide: By the Numbers
    • Surveys
    • Data Points
  • Newsletters
  • MORE+
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Media Kit
    • Jobs
    • People on the Move
    • Reprints & Licensing
    • Sponsored Content
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Providers
May 01, 2017 12:00 AM

Cleveland Clinic CEO Toby Cosgrove to step down

Maria Castellucci
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print

    Dr. Toby Cosgrove, the longtime CEO of the Cleveland Clinic, announced on Monday he will be stepping down by the end of this year.

    A succession process for his replacement has now begun and Cosgrove will stay on at the clinic in an advisory role, according to a news release. The clinic also said his successor will be a practicing physician, keeping up with the system's long history as a physician-led institution.

    "It is an honor and a privilege to be a part of an extraordinary and forward-thinking organization that puts patients at the center of everything we do," Cosgrove said in statement.

    During his nearly 13 years at the helm, Cosgrove led the prestigious institution through widespread expansion. But his tenure has also been marred with controversy, especially recently due to his ties with the Trump administration.

    Under his leadership, revenue at the clinic grew from $3.7 billion in 2004 to $8.5 billion in 2016. He oversaw growth by establishing multiple new locations nationwide and internationally, including setting up services in Canada and Abu Dhabi.

    The number of physician-scientists nearly doubled under his leadership from 1,800 to 3,400. And total visits to the clinic increased from 2.8 million to 7.1 million.

    Cosgrove recently received some backlash because of his ties to the Trump administration. He was among prospective cabinet picks who met with President-elect Donald Trump in December about leading the Veterans Affairs Department. Although Cosgrove ultimately declined the role, he remains a Trump adviser as a member of the strategic and policy forum.

    That wasn't the first time Cosgrove has been considered to lead the VA. The Obama administration reportedly looked at Cosgrove but he eventually took himself out of the running. He was also a member of the Veterans Administration Commission on Care in 2015.

    The Cleveland Clinic faced controversy again in February when it refused to cancel a fundraiser at Trump's resort in Florida. After Trump signed an executive order that banned one of its doctors from re-entering the U.S., hundreds of medical students and doctors signed a letter asking the clinic to cancel the fundraiser. The CMS has also threatened on several occasions to remove Medicare payments after inspections showed the system failed to investigate patient safety concerns.

    Despite those recent controversies, Cosgrove is well-regarded for his leadership approaches. He emphasized the importance of a patient-centered approach to care delivery, coining the phrase "patient first" at the clinic.

    Cosgrove hired the system's first chief patient experience officer to focus on the physical and emotional aspects of patient care. The clinic also began offering same-day doctor's appointments last year to improve access to services.

    In his book​ The Cleveland Clinic Way, Cosgrove advocated for more collaborative approaches to treatment, innovation through the use of big data and more personalized care.

    Cosgrove has publicly spoken about the opioid epidemic, skyrocketing drug prices, the high cost of healthcare services and the Affordable Care Act.

    Cosgrove has spent more than 40 years at the clinic. He joined the system in 1975 as a cardiac surgeon and was named chairman of the thoracic and cardiovascular surgery department in 1989.

    A veteran, Cosgrove was awarded a Bronze Star for his service as the U.S. Air Force's chief of casualty staging flights during the Vietnam War.

    Cosgrove has been named to Modern Healthcare's annual list of the 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare 10 times.

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Send us a letter

    Have an opinion about this story? Click here to submit a Letter to the Editor, and we may publish it in print.

    Recommended for You
    mh-20250512-myPlace-Health-PACE
    Scan Group eyes PACE expansion as sole owner of myPlace Health
    mh-20250508-post-acute-care
    Post-acute providers see hiring boost as possible recession looms
    Most Popular
    1
    Best Places to Work in Healthcare - 2025 (alphabetical list)
    2
    House GOP bill would make deep cuts to Medicaid
    3
    AI health risk assessments aim to boost Medicare Advantage pay
    4
    How health system CFOs are navigating the growing uncertainty
    5
    CMS proposes crackdown on 'money laundering' provider tax policies
    Sponsored Content
    Modern Healthcare A.M. Newsletter: Sign up to receive a comprehensive weekday morning newsletter designed for busy healthcare executives who need the latest and most important healthcare news and analysis.
    Get Newsletters

    Sign up for enewsletters and alerts to receive breaking news and in-depth coverage of healthcare events and trends, as they happen, right to your inbox.

    Subscribe Today
    MH Magazine Cover

    MH magazine offers content that sheds light on healthcare leaders’ complex choices and touch points—from strategy, governance, leadership development and finance to operations, clinical care, and marketing.

    Subscribe
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS

    Our Mission

    Modern Healthcare empowers industry leaders to succeed by providing unbiased reporting of the news, insights, analysis and data.

    Contact Us

    (877) 812-1581

    Email us

     

    Resources
    • Contact Us
    • Help Center
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Editorial Dept
    • Submission Guidelines
    • Code of Ethics
    • Awards
    • About Us
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Modern Healthcare
    Copyright © 1996-2025. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Current News
      • Providers
      • Insurance
      • Government
      • Finance
      • Technology
      • Safety & Quality
      • Digital Health
      • Transformation
        • Patients
        • Operations
        • Care Delivery
        • Payment
      • ESG
      • People
      • Regional News
        • Midwest
        • Northeast
        • South
        • West
      • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Blogs
      • AI
      • Deals
      • Layoff Tracker
      • HLTH 2024
      • Sponsored Content: Vital Signs Blog
    • Opinion
      • Letters
      • From the Editor
    • Events & Awards
      • Awards
        • Nominate/Eligibility
        • 100 Most Influential People
        • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
        • 40 Under 40
        • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
        • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
        • Innovators Awards
        • Diversity Leaders
        • Leading Women
        • Best in Business Awards
      • Conferences
        • The 2030 Playbook Conference
        • Innovations in Patient Experience
        • Leading Women Conference & Awards Luncheon
        • Leadership Summit
        • Workforce Summit
      • Galas
        • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
        • Diversity Leaders Gala
      • Virtual Briefings
        • - Looking Ahead to 2025
        • - Financial Growth
        • - Hospital of the Future
        • - Value Based Care
        • - Looking Ahead to 2026
      • Webinars
    • Multimedia
      • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
      • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
      • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
      • Sponsored Video Series - Checking In with Dan Peres
    • Data & Insights
      • Data & Insights Home
      • Hospital Financials
      • Staffing & Compensation
      • Quality & Safety
      • Mergers & Acquisitions
      • Skilled Nursing Facilities
      • Data Archive
      • Resource Guide: By the Numbers
      • Surveys
      • Data Points
    • Newsletters
    • MORE+
      • Contact Us
      • Advertise
      • Media Kit
      • Jobs
      • People on the Move
      • Reprints & Licensing
      • Sponsored Content