Service Fanatics: How to Build Superior Patient Experience the Cleveland Clinic Way

Chapter 1

Transformed by he Patient Experience

In 2004, I was a colorectal fellow at Cleveland Clinic, in my final year of medical training. The institution had one of the preeminent colorectal programs in the world—and still does. It had among the highest case volumes in the world, as well as several leading colorectal surgeons, including department chairman Victor W. Fazio, a world-renowned, pioneering colorectal surgeon considered by many to be one of the grand masters in the field. Training under Fazio would not only mold me into a great surgeon; it would virtually guarantee an exceptional career. The day I was accepted into the fellowship program, I was ecstatic, knowing that I was joining one of the best programs in the world, if not