Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital

Health Systems Cleveland Clinic Health System

Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital

501(c)(3)

9500 Euclid Ave.
Cleveland, OH

3

Total Sex Change Patients

info icon Total unique children who underwent gender-affirming procedures or hormone/puberty blocker therapy.
0

Total Surgery Patients

info icon Total unique children who underwent gender-affirming surgical procedures.
3

Total Hormone and Puberty Blocker Patients

info icon Total unique children who were prescribed puberty blockers or received gender-affirming hormone therapy.
20

Total Prescriptions Written

info icon Total number of scripts for puberty blockers or gender-affirming hormones.
$297

Total Submitted Charges

info icon Total amount submitted by providers or pharmacies to insurance for services, treatments, or prescriptions, before any reviews or adjustments. Includes medical procedures and prescription charges but may not reflect the final amount after negotiations.

Cleveland Clinic Children’s is a nonprofit hospital and part of the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. The hospital operates the Gender Understanding, Identity and Expression (GUIDE) program to support minors questioning their gender identity, and states that it provides “gender-affirming primary and specialty care with adolescent medicine and pediatric endocrinology specialists.” Claims data shows the Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital for Rehabilitation, a hospital affiliated with Cleveland Clinic Children’s, and the wider Cleveland Clinic system have billed for hormone therapy and sex change surgeries. Ohio currently bans gender medical interventions; including hormones, puberty blockers, and surgeries; for children after a judge ruled August 6, 2024 that the state’s law banning these interventions can go into effect.

For more information on the specific procedure and diagnostic codes and other methodology used to make these determination, read our white paper here.

Key Findings

The Gender Understanding, Identity and Expression (GUIDE) program at Cleveland Clinic Children’s provides support and intervention for youth who are gender questioning, gender non-conforming, gender fluid, or transgender. The GUIDE program services include affirmative support and education and “gender-affirming” primary and specialty care with adolescent medicine and pediatric endocrinology specialists.

Cleveland Clinic maintains a health and wellness site called Health Essentials that offers over 6,000 articles on help with diseases, conditions, treatments, and body systems. A June 2023 Health Essentials article contained tips for parents supporting children exploring their gender identity.

In a May 2022 Ohio Capital Journal article, Aaron Baer with the Center for Christian Virtue underscored ongoing efforts statewide, including at the Cleveland Clinic, to oppose what he views as child sterilization practices due to “gender-affirming care.”

“We’re fighting to stop the sterilization of children right now in children’s hospitals all over the state, including the Cleveland Clinic,” Baer said.

Sex Change Treatments Offered

The Gender Understanding, Identity and Expression (GUIDE) Program

The GUIDE Cleveland Clinic Children’s provides support and intervention for youth who are gender questioning, gender non-conforming, gender fluid, or transgender. The program’s services include affirmative support and education and gender-affirming primary and specialty care with adolescent medicine and pediatric endocrinology specialists.

Educational Resources

Cleveland Clinic maintains a health and wellness site called Health Essentials that offers over 6,000 articles on help with diseases, conditions, treatments and body systems.

A June 2023 Health Essentials article on tips for parents supporting children exploring their gender identity.

Another article published in May 2020, claimed that transgender adolescents receiving pubertal blocking or “gender-affirming care” reported improvements in body dissatisfaction and moderate changes in depression and anxiety, with care provided by The Cleveland Clinic Children’s GUIDE Program.

 

Definitions

SEX CHANGE PATIENTS: Total unique children who underwent “gender-affirming” surgical procedures or hormone/puberty blocker therapy.

TOTAL SURGERY PATIENTS: Total unique children who underwent “gender-affirming” surgical procedures.

TOTAL HORMONE AND PUBERTY BLOCKERS PATIENTS: Total unique children who were prescribed puberty blockers or received gender-affirming hormone therapy.

TOTAL PRESCRIPTIONS WRITTEN: Total number of prescriptions written by a provider for puberty blockers or gender-affirming hormones for children.

TOTAL SUBMITTED CHARGES: This is the initial amount a healthcare provider or pharmacy submits to the insurance company for a specific service, treatment, or prescription before the insurance company reviews and adjusts the payment. This value includes both the pharmacy-submitted cost of prescription drug claims and the line-item charges associated with medical procedures. Please note that this amount does not necessarily reflect the full cost of the procedure or prescription, as it is subject to adjustments and negotiations by the insurance company.

Leadership

Executive Leadership

Name Title Compensation
Tomislav Mihaljevic, MD Chief Executive Officer and President $6,205,435
Rohit Chandra, PhD Executive Vice President, Chief Digital Officer $1,828,036
James Cotelingam Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy Officer N/A
Conor Delaney, MD, PhD Executive Vice President, President of Florida Market $1,618,880
Serpil Erzurum, MD Executive Vice President, Chief Research and Academic Officer $1,322,200
Vickie Johnson, MPA Executive Vice President, Chief Community Officer N/A
Dennis L. Laraway, MBA Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer N/A
Deborah Gordon Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer N/A

The current leadership/titles are based on the Cleveland leadership website, but the compensation information is from The Cleveland Clinic Foundation Group Return 2022 Form 990, filed 11/13/23.

Compensation reflects the tax year beginning January 1, 2022, and ending December 31, 2022.

Board of Trustees

Name Title Compensation
Beth E. Mooney Chair $0
Michael B. Petras, JR Vice Chair, Finance and Business Development $0
Larry Pollock Vice Chair, Philanthropy and Stewardship $0

The current leadership/titles are based on the Cleveland board of directors website, but the compensation information is from The Cleveland Clinic Foundation Group Return 2022 Form 990, filed 11/13/23.

Cleveland Clinic appears to elect its Board of Directors but it is unclear how often elections are held and how long terms may last (if any).

In the News

Stay up to date with the latest news and updates.

Ohio Capital Journal

Fact checking claims about gender-affirming care

05/02/2022

In a May 2022 Ohio Capital Journal article, Aaron Baer with the Center for Christian Virtue underscored ongoing efforts statewide,…

Read More →