The head of the Cleveland Clinic could be the next Secretary of Veterans Affairs, following the hasty departure of Eric Shinseki. A report by The Wall Street Journal said the White House is “considering” nominating Dr. Toby Cosgrove to fill the position. The paper attributed the information to three people familiar with the matter.
The report said Cosgrove is “seriously considering” the role. A spokeswoman for the Cleveland Clinic reached by phone declined to comment on whether Cosgrove had been approached.
Cosgrove has led the Cleveland Clinic for more than 10 years. He also has a military background. He was a surgeon in the U.S. Air Force and served in Vietnam as the chief of U.S. Air Force Casualty Staging Flight. He was awarded the Bronze Star and the Republic of Vietnam Commendation Medal, according to his bio on the Cleveland Clinic’s website.
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In his role at the health system, Cosgrove has worked to improve the patient experience. In a presentation at the health system’s Medical Innovations Summit last year, he talked about how Cleveland Clinic boosted its patient satisfaction scores. It included several steps, from automatically enrolling patients in a portal to access their health records to streamlining the appointment scheduling process.
In recent years, the health system has also reformed its policies around healthy living. It stopped hiring smokers, eliminated fried and fatty foods from its main campus, and removed sugary drinks from its hospitals.