Letter to Friends

Dear Friends,

Each year our Annual Report showcases many of the remarkable people who comprise UH – our patients, caregivers, donors, volunteers, business partners and community stakeholders. It’s also an opportunity to highlight new initiatives and recent success. As we were in the final stages of publishing our 2019 UH Annual Report, the pandemic began.

UH’s response to COVID-19 reinforced the strength and dedication of our health care heroes and our ability as a system to quickly adapt and respond to the needs of our patients, caregivers and community. As we reflect on 2019, there are many accomplishments to celebrate that have served as UH’s legacy for more than 150 years and propelled our mission: To Heal. To Teach. To Discover.

HIGHLIGHTS OF UH IN 2019 INCLUDED:

• Attaining record-high inpatient satisfaction scores across the system, fulfilling our commitment to provide a patient-driven, consumer-friendly experience and delivering on our goal of excellence in the quality of care.

• Increasing UH caregiver engagement. All of the services that we provide to patients are delivered by caregivers, in clinical and nonclinical positions, who are called to our mission and committed to excellence in care. Forbes named UH the highest ranking employer in

Cleveland and one of America’s Best Employers for New Grads.

• Enhancing our academic mission by establishing important relationships with the University of Oxford, England and Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, reinforcing our commitment to advance the science of health and develop the next generation of physicians.

• Furthering discovery and innovation. UH Ventures drove a surge in innovation disclosures and formed new companies and pilot engagements with startups. We increased medical exploration and the number of active clinical trials, and research studies, which near 3,000.

And Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals expanded its support for many of the brightest medical scholars nationally and internationally.

• Improving the positioning of UH for a value-driven marketplace by advancing models of care through our Accountable Care Organization; focusing on consistency of outcomes and reducing readmission rates by 11 percent; enhancing operational efficiency through system integration; and augmenting access through expansion of telehealth and digital offerings.

• Setting a new record for donor generosity and securing more endowed positions than in any other year. We are grateful for this level of support that helps us deliver on our vision of Advancing the Science of Health and the Art of Compassion.

Our health system’s success is driven by a responsibility we hold dear: The community trusts UH to provide the most advanced and compassionate care for their health and well-being. Throughout this report, we illustrate many examples of this inspiring responsibility in action and our extraordinary community that makes it happen.

Sincerely,

THOMAS F. ZENTY III, FACHE

CEO (Retired), University Hospitals

CLIFF A. MEGERIAN, MD, FACS

CEO, University Hospitals

ARTHUR F. ANTON

Chair, UH Board of Directors