Greater access to specialty care areas now available to more international patients

For more than 30 years, patients have come to Cleveland Clinic Florida seeking outstanding patient care. It is a premier academic medical center known for providing complex care for the sickest of patients, from across the region and around the world. To meet both the local and international demand for broader access to Cleveland Clinic’s primary and specialty care services, Cleveland Clinic Florida has completed major elements of its ambitious expansion plan with the opening of its new hospital tower and expanded emergency services.

“We are excited about the greater reach of Cleveland Clinic’s unique model of medicine, which combines patient-centered care with research and innovation to achieve clinical excellence,” said Wael Barsoum, M.D., CEO and President of Cleveland Clinic Florida. “This innovative facility is part of our commitment to continuing to deliver on our promise of bringing world-class care to more patients.”

The newly-constructed $232 million five-story, 221,000-square-foot hospital tower expands capacity by 50 percent at South Florida’s top ranked hospital. The addition of 75 beds and critical care areas allows Cleveland Clinic Florida to accommodate significantly more surgical cases, especially high acuity patients facing cancer, cardiac and neurological conditions, and those in need of organ transplant services. Cleveland Clinic Florida’s Transplant Center is fully integrated with United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) and is one of the leading institutes for heart, liver and kidney transplantation in South Florida, serving the southeastern United States, the Caribbean and Latin America. Since its launch in 2013, the program has completed over 800 life-saving organ transplants.

The hospital tower includes expanded Emergency Services department, 24 surgical intensive care unit (ICU) beds, 26 medical/surgical and telemetry beds for oncology and acute care patients, and 24 medical ICU beds. Several design elements to support patient safety, comfort and experience include access to natural light throughout the facility to support a healing environment, state-of-the-art hospital beds featuring visual management tools, and nursing stations positioned between patient rooms. Dedicated computer stations are located within patient rooms for caregivers to provide easy access to electronic health records.

In addition to serving a higher volume of patients, this expansion means that more patients will have access to faster care. It also allows Cleveland Clinic Florida to receive more international patients that are in critical condition. Overall, this expansion is the latest step in extending the reach of Cleveland Clinic’s unique model of medicine, one that combines patient-centered care with research and innovation to achieve clinical excellence every day.

For more details on this expansion, visit www.http://www.clevelandclinicflorida.org/expansion