Communication the Cleveland Clinic Way: How to Drive a Relationship-Centered Strategy for Exceptional Patient Experience

Put relationship-centered communication at the forefront of care

Today, physicians face a hypercompetitive marketplace in which they must meet unique and complex patient needs as efficiently as possible. But in a culture prioritizing clinical outcomes above all, there can be a tendency to lose sight of one of the most critical aspects of providing effective care: the communication skills that build and foster physician-patient relationships. 

Studies have shown that good communication between doctors and patients and among all caregivers who interface with patients directly results in better clinical outcomes, reduced costs, greater patient satisfaction, and lower rates of physician burnout.

In Communication the Cleveland Clinic Way, Dr. Adrienne Boissy and her team tell the story of how Cleveland Clinic created and applied the R.E.D.E. to Communicate: Foundations of Healthcare program, making the world-renowned hospital system a leader in relationship-centered care. They provide a step-by-step guide for healthcare leaders and decision-makers to design, develop, and implement communication skills training in their own institutions. Learn how to:

• Craft an effective, colleague-supported communication skills program to include veteran physicians, residents, and medical students
• Leverage creative program design and data transparency to engage and facilitate staff physicians and advanced care providers
• Identify common misperceptions and myths in healthcare communication and respond to them successfully
• Cultivate a true sense of empathy―with patients and fellow caregivers alike―while maintaining professionalism

In a field where difficult conversations and stressful relationships are commonplace, clinicians need a structured approach to enable them to deliver the best care possible. Communication the Cleveland Clinic Way is the blueprint for establishing a relationship-centered program that will improve patient experience, reinvigorate doctors’ passion for their work, and elevate any organization.

 Adrienne Boissy, MD, is the Chief Experience Officer of Cleveland Clinic, where she leads initiatives to improve the patient experience. She spearheaded the creation and development of the Clinic’s R.E.D.E. to Communicate: Foundations of Healthcare program, and serves as a staff neurologist at the Cleveland Clinic Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis.

Timothy Gilligan, MD, is the former Co-Director of the Center for Excellence in Healthcare Communication at Cleveland Clinic, where he teaches communication skills and provides physician coaching. A medical oncologist, Dr. Gilligan is Vice-Chair for Education at the Clinic’s Taussig Cancer Institute.