December 15, 2022
Hi Team –
I am thrilled to share that later today we will take another giant leap forward on our journey to Get Healthcare Right, as we publicly announce a landmark clinical affiliation between TriHealth and the Cleveland Clinic Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute!
The press conference, which you can watch via livestream by clicking here, takes place on our Bethesda North Hospital Campus. I will be joined by Dr. Steve Lewis, Cardiologist and System Chief for TriHealth Heart & Vascular Institute (THVI); Dr. Suma Thomas, Cardiologist and Vice Chairman of Strategic Operations for the Cleveland Clinic Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute; and Dr. Kathryn O’Keefe, Cardiothoracic Surgeon and Medical Director of our LVAD Program. Also attending will be many of our TriHealth and Bethesda board members, as well as Cleveland Clinic and TriHealth physicians and team members.
This exciting, new relationship makes TriHealth the exclusive Cleveland Clinic Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute affiliate in southwest Ohio – and the ONLY such affiliate in ALL of Ohio! Cleveland Clinic is the nation’s top-ranked heart program, according to U.S. News & World Report, which has ranked the Clinic number one for cardiology and heart surgery for the past 28 consecutive years!! So, this affiliation serves as yet another resounding proof point that YOU, our extraordinary TriHealth Team, are among the best, most trusted, and most sought-after healthcare providers and collaborators, anywhere!Together with Cleveland Clinic, TriHealth will be able to accelerate the continued growth and development of THVI and further advance our commitment to provide every patient in need throughout the region with greater access to world-class heart and vascular care close to home. Cleveland Clinic will work with TriHealth clinicians and our multidisciplinary teams at Good Samaritan, Bethesda North, and the TriHealth Heart & Vascular Institute to share its clinical expertise and best practices, including the latest technologies and innovations in heart care – all for the benefit of our TriHealth patients and team! Through this partnership, Cleveland Clinic will actively assist TriHealth in:
- Further developing our nationally recognized clinical programs, including our coronary artery bypass program, advanced heart failure program, left ventricular assist device (LVAD) surgical program, cardiothoracic surgery program, and more.
- Improving clinical outcomes through benchmarking and collaboration with Cleveland Clinic and its world-class clinicians.
- Firmly positioning TriHealth as the region’s destination for cardiac services through “co-branding” of TriHealth as the region’s exclusive affiliate of Cleveland Clinic.
This is yet another important step in our bold vision to develop the region’s destination heart and vascular program, which is part of our foundational work to Get Healthcare Right (right care, right place, right cost). Doing so, ultimately, further strengthens our ability to deliver on the Triple Aim + One – better care, better health, and better value for every patient we serve and an enhanced practice and work environment for our physicians and team members.
This vision was launched back in 2018 with the difficult, but necessary, decision to consolidate our two “good” heart surgery programs at Good Samaritan and Bethesda North to create one “great” and fully integrated “system” cardiac surgery program on the Bethesda North campus. This decision allowed us to concentrate our clinical resources and expertise (cardiac surgeons, intensivists, perfusionists, and others) into one location to dramatically improve clinical outcomes. And that is exactly what has occurred, as evidenced by TriHealth’s cardiac surgery program being recognized by the Society of Thoracic Surgeons for the past four consecutive years as the region’s only 3-Star Program (the highest possible rating for mortality and clinical outcomes) – and among just a handful in the entire Midwest!!!
Execution of this bold vision has been accelerating ever since, through major investments and generous philanthropic support, resulting in:
- The development of the Harold and Eugenia Thomas Heart and Vascular Center – a state-of-the-art “hospital within a hospital” that has quickly become the trusted regional destination for the most advanced and complex comprehensive cardiac care.
- Enhancements to TriHealth’s coronary artery bypass program, which has consistently earned the distinguished 3-star rating from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons since 2019 – placing TriHealth among the top 10 percent of cardiac surgery programs in the nation.
- The creation of TriHealth’s Advanced Heart Failure Clinic and our Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) surgical program for end-stage heart failure patients.
- The launch, just two days ago, of our new 30,000-square-foot cardiac catheter lab with nine procedure rooms, which will further enable our physicians and team members to provide the highest quality, most innovative care to patients.
At the same time, TriHealth is continuing to invest in cardiology and vascular services at Good Samaritan Hospital, as part of our five-year, $250 million investment to create a comprehensive inpatient and outpatient medical hub of the future there. This is on top of recent investments in cardiac services at TriHealth’s outpatient settings, including the Good Samaritan Western Ridge Ambulatory Campus in Green Township and plans for the new Finneytown facility, which will open next year.
Partnerships such as this are literally part of TriHealth’s DNA. Our health system itself was formed more than 25 years ago when Good Samaritan and Bethesda came together in partnership to form TriHealth to more effectively serve Cincinnati as an integrated, patient-centered health system. This latest affiliation with Cleveland Clinic is further evidence of our leadership in forging “best of the best” clinical and strategic relationships to improve the health of the communities we serve by “getting healthcare right” across the full continuum of care. This allows us to be the trusted provider of choice for our growing population at every stage of life and in every stage of health, as demonstrated by our other long-standing, best-in-class partnerships, which include:
- Collaborating with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital on the Fetal Care Center – one of a few comprehensive fetal care centers in the nation specializing in the treatment of complex, rare, and life-threatening conditions.
- Our landmark joint venture with Beacon Orthopedics – the Midwest’s leading orthopedics and sports medicine provider – which is already delivering breakthrough advancements in quality, affordability, and accessibility to those we serve together.
- Expanding our 80+ year relationship with Mayfield Brain & Spine to create a comprehensive, state-of-the-art Neurosciences Institute and Comprehensive Regional Stroke Center based at Good Sam Hospital.
What’s most exciting about our affiliation with Cleveland Clinic is the passion, leadership, and world-class clinical expertise and innovation our respective teams will bring to this pioneering endeavor as ONE Team! We are thrilled about the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues from Cleveland to elevate heart care in the Greater Cincinnati Region, and we look forward to working together for years to come to provide the very best cardiac care anywhere!
COVID Update 
While we’ve seen a slight decrease in COVID case rates across Hamilton County over the past week (now at 142.02/100,000 population), transmission rates remain above the CDC threshold for mandatory masking in clinical settings (see graph to right). And with the increasing trend in upper respiratory viruses – including COVID, flu, RSV, and others – we expect this to remain the case for at least the next few weeks. Here at TriHealth, we have 34 COVID inpatients, with one on a ventilator and a 15.1% positivity rate for symptomatic patients (see COVID graphic to far right for details).
As we celebrate our landmark affiliation with Cleveland Clinic, I want to, once again, express my deep gratitude to YOU, our incredible team that makes achievements like this possible! At the heart of every incredible milestone on our journey to Get Healthcare Right lies a central and common denominator – and that’s our team’s unending commitment to SERVE and CARE! Thank you for always choosing to BE your best and BRING OUT the best in everything we do for our community, our patients, and each other!