Cleveland Clinic has formed a strategic advisory council with Doctors Hospital Health System, a tertiary healthcare institution in the Bahamas, where the two organizations aim to expand and improve the delivery of healthcare services.
A two-year strategic advisory agreement — through which the two agreed to form the council — will provide Doctors Hospital access to Cleveland Clinic's network of internal experts for strategic planning, clinical education and leadership development, according to a news release. The Clinic is paid a fee under the agreement, but specific financial terms weren't disclosed.
"Partnering with Doctors Hospital is a great opportunity to positively impact Bahamian health care delivery and patient outcomes," said Dr. Curtis Rimmerman, Cleveland Clinic chairman of international operations, in a provided statement. "Improving the quality of health care will significantly contribute to building a healthier community for all Bahamians."
Rimmerman is part of a team from the Clinic and Doctors Hospital that will meet throughout the year in working sessions. Rob Stall, the Clinic's executive director of international operations, and Ivan Blanco, Cleveland Clinic Florida's chief marketing and business development officer, are also part of the team, along with members from Doctors Hospital, including Dr. Charles Diggiss, majority shareholder and president; Charles Sealy, chief executive officer; and Dennis Deveaux, chief financial officer.
The Clinic has grown its international presence over the years in a variety of ways, including its locations in Toronto and Abu Dhabi. Cleveland Clinic London is slated to open its outpatient services in September and inpatient services in January 2022. In 2018, the Clinic announced Luye Medical Group in China as the first member of Cleveland Clinic Connected, an international program that allows patients around the world to connect with the Clinic's best practices and technology. Luye Medical and the Clinic plan to open Shanghai Luye Lilan Hospital in 2025 (a year later than originally planned due to pandemic delays) at Shanghai's New Hong Qiao International Medical Center.
The new advisory relationship with Doctors Hospital isn't a Cleveland Clinic Connected branded relationship like the health system's affiliation with Luye in China, according to a Clinic spokeswoman, who noted that the engagement will allow Doctors Hospital and the Clinic to better understand one another while building clinical relationships.
The two plan to work together on various projects, including significantly expanding outpatient services offered by Doctors Hospital, as well as developing centers of excellence in the Bahamas where the Clinic's resources will offer "significant advantage, acceleration and support" to Doctors Hospital, according to the release.
"The decision to align Doctors Hospital with Cleveland Clinic will increase the quality of care and expanded availability of on-island health care options for Bahamians," Diggiss said in a provided statement. "Doctors Hospital's alignment with a prominent and known global brand like Cleveland Clinic will dramatically accelerate our access to grow capacity to meet the burgeoning health care demands of Bahamians."
Doctors Hospital, a 94-bed health system comprised of two unique facilities, is among the most modern acute care healthcare facilities in the Caribbean, according to the release.
