Cleveland Clinic Names Tomislav Mihaljevic, M.D., as CEO, President

Jan. 2, 2018
Cleveland Clinic has selected Tomislav “Tom” Mihaljevic, M.D., as the hospital system’s next CEO and president, succeeding Toby Cosgrove, M.D., effective Jan. 1, 2018.

Cleveland Clinic has selected Tomislav “Tom” Mihaljevic, M.D., as the hospital system’s next CEO and president, succeeding Toby Cosgrove, M.D., effective Jan. 1, 2018.

Mihaljevic, 53, joined Cleveland Clinic in 2004 as a cardiothoracic surgeon specializing in minimally invasive and robotically assisted cardiac surgeries. Since 2015, Mihaljevic has served as CEO of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, overseeing the hospital’s strategy and operations, including directly managing the hospital’s Patient Experience and Strategy & Business Development programs.

“Dr. Mihaljevic brings a depth of experience, first as an innovative, world-class surgeon and more recently as a hospital executive focused on healthcare quality and safety, patient experience and business strategy,” Robert E. Rich Jr., chair of Cleveland Clinic’s Board of Directors, said in a statement. “By nearly every measure—quality, accessibility, finances, innovation, reputation—Cleveland Clinic has made unprecedented strides since Dr. Cosgrove became CEO and president in 2004. Following in his footsteps would be challenging for anybody, but Mihaljevic has the background, skills and vision to move Cleveland Clinic forward to even greater heights.”

As of Jan. 1, 2018, Mihaljevic will assume the full duties of president and CEO, while Dr. Cosgrove will move to an advisory role to be determined by the Board of Directors and Dr. Mihaljevic.

“While I may be stepping aside as president and CEO, I will not be leaving Cleveland Clinic behind,” Cosgrove said. “No place else functions quite like Cleveland Clinic, with its physician-driven, patient-centered ethos that encourages clinical excellence, medical education, research and innovation. I look forward to working with Mihaljevic in any way that I can to further the Cleveland Clinic mission.”

Over Cosgrove’s 13-year tenure, Cleveland Clinic expanded locally, nationally, and internationally and the organization’s revenues have grown from $3.7 billion in 2004 to $8.5 billion in 2016 with locations in Ohio, Florida, Nevada, Canada, Abu Dhabi, and, opening in 2020, London.

Mihaljevic said, “Our ongoing success will hinge on our ability to maintain high-quality outcomes, while reducing healthcare costs, encouraging innovation, and improving access and affordability for patients.”

A native of Croatia and a naturalized American citizen, Mihaljevic earned his medical degree from the University of Zagreb, before moving to the United States in 1995 to join Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. He moved to Cleveland Clinic in 2004 as a cardiothoracic surgeon specializing in minimally invasive and robotically assisted cardiac surgeries, complex valve operations and reoperations, heart failure surgery, and heart transplantation.

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