Hospitals clash over plan for new Level I trauma center
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Cleveland Clinic's plan to open a new Level I trauma center has ignited a public dispute between two of the region's biggest health systems.
Why it matters: MetroHealth has planted a flag in opposition, with CEO Christine Alexander-Rager publicly calling the plan "reckless" and accusing the Clinic of failing to act in the community's best interest.
Driving the news: Cleveland Clinic announced last month it was pursuing a Level I adult and pediatric trauma center at its Main Campus, with a goal of opening in 2028.
- Level I facilities offer the highest level of care for life-threatening injuries and must maintain around-the-clock access to specialized surgeons and critical care teams.
The intrigue: MetroHealth, which operates one of two existing Level I trauma centers, responded with immediate alarm and called on the Clinic to reevaluate its plans.
What they're saying: In a Feb. 2 letter to Clinic CEO Tomislav Mihaljevic first reported by Signal Cleveland, and again in an annual address last week, Alexander-Rager directly criticized the plan, arguing it would harm the region.
- She said Cleveland could expect worse patient outcomes, higher mortality, increased costs and diluted talent among trauma teams.
- "More is not better when it comes to trauma care," she said. "Trauma care teams need high volume and repetition. They're like a Formula 1 pit crew. They are at their best — and their outcomes are at their best — when they are working together over and over and over again."
The other side: The Clinic did not respond to an Axios request for comment, but Mihaljevic has said that a trauma center would reduce patient transfers outside its system.
- There is sufficient patient volume to justify the trauma center, he told reporters after his State of the Clinic address last month.
Between the lines: The Clinic may be chasing prestige more than profit, especially after dipping last year in the U.S. News & World Report rankings.
- "We provide the most comprehensive services of any provider in Ohio," Ideastream quoted him as saying. "Yet we are the only large integrated health care delivery system in the United States that doesn't have a Level I trauma center."
UH, which operates the city's other trauma center, a mile from the Clinic's campus, has not entered the fray.
- "We hope to be able to work together across the Level I trauma providers to ensure that our community always has access to the best trauma care," UH said in a statement to Axios.
The last word: MetroHealth will continue to be on the front lines. Alexander-Rager said opposing the trauma center will be one of the health system's priorities for 2026.
- "We will not sit back and allow our community to be harmed," she said.
- "MetroHealth provides trauma care better than anyone. We are the most experienced, the most comprehensive, and we are guided by our mission, not by profits or national rankings."