St. Luke's Hospital in Chesterfield, Mo., has unveiled an exclusive affiliation with the Cleveland Clinic Heart and Vascular Institute, according to the St. Louis Dispatch.
Under the five-year deal, Cleveland Clinic will contract directly with payers and employers to create incentives for employees to seek cardiac care from St. Luke's.
The affiliation will provide St. Luke's with access to Cleveland Clinic clinical trials, new technology, reviews of complex cases and continuing medical education, St. Luke's hospital officials said Tuesday. St. Luke's specialists will be able to consult with Cleveland Clinic physicians to obtain a second opinion.
Cleveland Clinic will serve as a consultant for the 493-bed hospital, and St. Luke's will pay the clinic a fee for its "expertise and guidance," said St. Luke's CEO Christine M. Candio, according to the report. Operating as a group purchasing organization, Cleveland Clinic will also help St. Luke's purchase the latest technology at a lower cost, according to the report.