University Hospitals

University Hospitals: an academic health network in Northeast Ohio

University Hospitals is an academic health system based in Cleveland, Ohio, that operates an integrated network of 21 hospitals (five of them joint ventures), more than 50 health and ambulatory centers, and more than 200 medical practices across 16 counties in northern Ohio. The entity presents itself as one of the nation's leading health systems and cares for more than one million patients a year.

Founded in 1866, the organization has more than 155 years of patient care, teaching, and research activity. Its flagship academic center is University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, affiliated since the late 19th century with Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. It also maintains collaborations with Northeast Ohio Medical University, the University of Oxford (England), and the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, as well as with the Harrington Discovery Institute.

Care, research, and medical education

The system's activity combines clinical care with research and teaching. According to the institution's own data, it has more than 3,200 active clinical trials and research studies underway, and its academic collaboration forms one of the largest biomedical research centers in the nation. The organization trains physicians, nurses, researchers, and other healthcare professionals, and participates in the development of treatment protocols and healthcare technologies.

Specialties and flagship centers

The system brings together services in cardiology, dermatology, gynecology, mammography, orthopedics, primary care, pulmonology, and sleep medicine, among others. Two centers stand out within the network:

• University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital: presented as one of the nation's leading children's hospitals, ranked in nine pediatric specialties and home to the region's largest network of pediatricians.
• University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center: part of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, designated by the National Cancer Institute, that agency's highest rating.

UH Cleveland Medical Center has been included in U.S. News & World Report's annual list of Best Hospitals, according to the entity itself.

Patient care and digital services

The network provides care at every level, from on-demand care to emergencies. Patient services include the UH MyChart electronic health record, online bill payment, requesting price estimates based on insurance coverage, and access to medical records. The organization also publishes the consumer blog The Science of Health and hosts virtual health talks (UH Health Talks).

Institutional profile

University Hospitals defines itself as an organization guided by the values of service excellence, integrity, compassion, belonging, and trust, and states that it has received recognition for the quality of its care and patient safety. The entity has community giving and employment programs, and publishes an annual report and a commemorative work for its 150th anniversary.