Service Fanatics: How to Build Superior Patient Experience the Cleveland Clinic Way

Foreword

               I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

—MAYA ANGELOU

In 2004, acclaimed heart surgeon Dr. Delos “Toby” M. Cosgrove became the CEO of Cleveland Clinic, an institution known for innovation and excellence in patient outcomes. As he transitioned from surgery to strategy, he was invited to speak to Harvard Business School students about the Cleveland Clinic model of care. During that address, he was challenged by a student who asked whether he taught empathy for patients at Cleveland Clinic. It is a story that Toby has shared over the years as a defining moment in his strategic thinking. Patients go home from the Clinic “well,” ...