You're watching...
Cleveland Clinic CEO Dr. Toby Cosgrove on efforts to control costs while improving health care.
Also in this playlist...
Auto-advance: ON
Auto-advance
This transcript is automatically generated
-- not American business was mentioned by both candidates during Wednesday night's presidential debate if he sought if you didn't.
This company was held up -- such an example of the way things ought to be brought in the complicated world of health care.
Let's.
Go there at Cleveland clinic one of the best health care systems in the world they actually.
Provide great care cheaper than average and the reason they do -- because they do some Smart things -- They say if patients coming in let's get all the doctors -- wants to do one test instead of having the patient brought around what ten tests.
Your example of the Cleveland clinic is -- case in point along with several others I can describe.
This is the private market.
These are small -- -- -- enterprises competing with each other learning how to do better and better jobs.
I used to consultant businesses that should be the hospitals and health care providers I was astonished at the creativity and innovation that exists.
In the American people.
So that Cleveland clinic with its quality health care at a fair price is now squarely in the spotlight.
I spoke with the CEO of the clinic doctor Toby Cosgrove about what it was like first to get the big shout -- Always agree shut out and we're very appreciative that both candidates having -- -- shows that maybe there something special about the organization.
Why do you think -- -- the Cleveland clinic as an example shining example of what health care which is -- very tough nut to crack -- should really be.
Well one of the things is that they've seen it relative to other people we've been able to keep cost them and I think the reason for that is our model here.
For example the doctors all employed they're all salaried.
-- and they have no financial incentive to do more to lesson for that reason we don't see extra tests you don't hit your seniors and that keeps the cost of their control.
3000 doctors 111000.
Nurses some 42000.
Employees you are Cleveland's biggest employer frankly northeast Ohio's.
Biggest employer are you hire right now.
-- we continue to hire -- continued -- particularly for talent.
And we -- trying to keep number of people then level without increasing unnecessarily -- help keep -- Costs and -- control but there's also turnover.
And we're always terrorist.
Lately that the narrative has spent a lot of worry about the cost of compliant all right the affordable health care act GC all kinds of numbers thrown out somebody to spin some -- -- -- solid.
What is it really what's the real story from where -- -- We're gonna be paid less for doing what we doing now -- -- expected to keep the quality up so that we means we have to become more efficient let's talk a little bit about how we got here we.
We got here because health -- gotten better since 1950.
Think about aids aids for example used to be a death sentence now to chronic disease and that's because of the drugs the drugs cost money.
So -- better health care this coming increased costs so that is really the -- one of the major driving factors and why we're having to change the way we deliver care.
Plus a diseases changes -- chronic disease and it's not acute disease and doctor do you think that's going to be harder to convince people to want to go to medical school if what you're saying it's true doctors will be paid less.
I actually don't think so I I think that what what -- People don't go to medical school because they think they're gonna get rich.
They go to medical school for calling.
And they get paid well there well paid profession no question about it but that's not -- sort of medical school and we have many more applicants really good applicants and we have places for.
One of the big concerns is we're gonna have a shortage of doctors -- maturity of 90000.
Doctors in the United States and just gonna go up over time.
Because got more people and more things we can do for them.
So we have got to look at other people who have been to deliver care physicians assistants nurse -- -- -- can help screen people and only use doctors at the top of their.
The so.
-- -- -- said that if he wins he will repeal the affordable health care act.
Should it be blasted out.
Well I think we've made it changed health care had a -- we had as some sort of an impetus that was gonna move this along with -- bit the revolution in health care delivery is already happening.
The train left the station.
How long before the bill got -- we recognize that we had to consolidate to bring efficiency we recognize that doctors are now becoming employed 6% of the doctors now are.
Salaried employee it is supposed to be -- freelancers.
-- hospitals are consolidating.
Well what -- hurt to it wouldn't hurt that movement it's it's certainly repealed and all the rules change or would things just continue to go in the direction.
But as things are gonna continue to -- simply because we know that we have to be more efficient and we delivered as we deliver care and that's happening all the time.
And it was happening even before we start to talk about.
This we should mention that in Q4 now.
The brand it Q4 2013 -- international expansions at the Cleveland clinic will open its stores in Abu Dhabi state of the art.
Medical facility -- what does that say about -- -- and the Cleveland clinic.
What's interesting one of the things that's happening here is our brand is being recognized around the world and the fact says one of the things the world wants from the United States now is our health care.
They wanna graduate education -- health care on an entertainment but they really want our health care.
And so we have made in need your.
Investment of -- intellectual capital.
To begin to bring that sort of health care out into the world if we think we can do well there are probably -- lots other opportunities for us.
-- that -- your parking -- talent here great medical talent if any trouble convincing people.
-- the Cleveland skyline behind us that this is a place to live.
Actually you know there's an editor's.
A couple of good things first of all the model brings people here they wanna come and work week went on -- and the other thing has people are not coming to Cleveland because -- -- -- be a day at the beach.
They're coming here to be professionals that are dedicated to being doctors and working.
And it's a very good filter force.
