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Cleveland Clinic Reviews, Complaints & Contacts

Cleveland Clinic is a large nonprofit academic medical center founded in 1921 in Cleveland, Ohio, now operating 23 hospitals and about 300 outpatient locations across Ohio, Florida, and abroad, with system-wide operating revenue of $18.3 billion. It carries a BBB A+ rating and accreditation since 1996, but the letter grade reflects BBB's process criteria, not patient satisfaction: BBB separately logs 243 complaints in the last 3 years -- the large majority over billing -- against a 1.32-out-of-5 average across 41 customer reviews. The Clinic and its subsidiary Akron General have paid a combined $28.9 million to resolve two separate DOJ False Claims Act matters (2021, 2024) over billing/grant-compliance issues, and in 2026 reached a DOJ settlement regarding billing codes used for pediatric gender-affirming care, agreeing to a long-term halt on the practice for minors and funding for detransition-related care -- a politically significant, recent development reported here as settlement terms only, without characterizing the underlying merits.

REVIEWS & COMPLAINTS6on USAComplaints · none in last 3 yrs · latest 2013
WEBSITEmy.clevelandclinic.org
HEADQUARTERSCleveland, OH
PROFILE CHECKED2026-11-06
Submit a Complaint Read reviews & complaints ↓ Official website ↗
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Locations

  • Headquarters9500 Euclid Ave Cleveland OH 44195
EDITORIAL

Company Information

BBB

Legal name
Cleveland Clinic Foundation
Founded
1921
Business type
Nonprofit academic hospital and health system
Website
my.clevelandclinic.orgSource: Cleveland Clinic official website, checked 2026-08-25
Headquarters
Cleveland, OHSource: Better Business Bureau, checked 2026-08-25

Cleveland Clinic Foundation, founded in 1921, is a nonprofit academic hospital and health system. It carries a BBB A+ rating and has been BBB accredited since December 2, 1996. That letter grade, however, reflects BBB's own process-based criteria (transparency, complaint responsiveness), not patient satisfaction: separately, BBB logs 243 complaints in the last 3 years (80 closed in the last 12 months, the large majority -- 189 of 243 -- categorized as Billing Issues) against a 1.32-out-of-5 average across 41 customer reviews, a gap between the letter grade and the review score.

First, criminals have used caller-ID spoofing to impersonate Cleveland Clinic in robocalls -- one documented case involved a North Royalton, Ohio resident receiving a call, days after a real procedure, from a spoofed number matching the Clinic's actual line, requesting personal information; this is third-party fraud exploiting the Clinic's name, not misconduct by the Clinic itself. Second, and more substantively, the billing-complaint pattern on this page and a proposed (not yet confirmed as certified) billing-practices class action (see the related case entry) reflect consumer disputes over how bills and collections are handled, a different category of concern than the impersonation calls.

Beyond billing, Cleveland Clinic and its owned subsidiary Akron General have agreed to pay a combined $28.9 million to resolve two separate False Claims Act matters (2021 and 2024) -- neither involving an admission of liability -- and in June 2026 reached a further settlement with the US and the State of Ohio specifically regarding billing codes used in pediatric gender-affirming care, a recent matter reported in the related case entry strictly by its settlement terms. Separately, in September 2023, US Senator Bill Cassidy opened a Senate HELP Committee inquiry into Cleveland Clinic's use of the federal 340B drug-discount program, after the Clinic reportedly received $933.7 million in 340B benefit from 2020-2023 while stating it does not pass those drug discounts directly to patients.

EXTERNAL SOURCE

Independent Sources

Shown for context — not merged with USAComplaints' own numbers.

BBB243 complaints/3yr (183 Answered, 60 Resolved)
41 reviews · 243 complaints · BBB business grade A+ · average customer rating 1.32 / 5
EDITORIAL

Complaint Themes

Billing and cost-estimate disputesCaller-ID-spoofed impersonation scam callsRepeat federal False Claims Act settlements

Themes summarize what people write about most often. One complaint can touch several themes, and some complaints (a positive report, or one later retracted by its author) fit none, so themes are not a count of complaints.

CONSUMER ALLEGATION

Reviews & Complaints on USAComplaints

USAComplaints currently maintains 6 historical complaints about Cleveland Clinic, published between 2008 and 2013. No approved complaints have been published on this site during the last three years. For a current reputation snapshot, see the independent sources on this page.

EDITORIAL

What Complainants Allege

The dominant complaint category by far is billing: patients describe not being offered a required cost estimate before a procedure, payments applied to the wrong account or service, being denied a receipt for a payment already made, and debts referred to collections that patients dispute as inflated or already paid -- the same pattern underlying the active Van Brakle billing class action described on this page. A smaller share of complaints concern customer service (difficulty reaching the right department, unreturned calls) and service/repair-style disputes over specific care episodes. Cleveland Clinic's own Office of Patient Experience (Ombudsman) exists specifically to handle care-related grievances that can't be resolved directly with a department, though it explicitly does not handle billing, scheduling, or medical-records disputes, which are routed to separate departments.

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EDITORIAL

If You Have a Billing Dispute or Suspect an Impersonation Call

  • Before any procedure, ask in writing for a cost estimate and confirm what your insurance is expected to cover -- Ohio and federal No Surprises Act rules may entitle you to this.
  • Keep your own record of every payment (date, amount, method, confirmation number) in case a payment is later misapplied or disputed.
  • If you receive a call claiming to be from Cleveland Clinic asking for personal or financial information you didn't initiate, hang up and call the Clinic back directly using the number on your own paperwork or their official website -- caller ID can be spoofed.
  • For a care-related concern that your department hasn't resolved, contact the Office of Patient Experience (Ombudsman) at 216-444-2544 or 800-223-2273 ext. 42544.
  • For billing disputes specifically, contact the billing department directly in writing, and if unresolved, you can file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau or the Ohio Attorney General's consumer-protection office.
PUBLIC RECORD

Court & Public Records

United States/HHS-OIG Settlement Agreement with Cleveland Clinic Foundation (False Claims Act allegations — undisclosed foreign research funding)

Settled

U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Ohio (civil settlement)Source ↗

SettledCleveland Clinic Foundation paid $7,600,000 to resolve allegations of false statements to the National Institutes of Health regarding three federal grants -- specifically, that a principal investigator concealed concurrent foreign funding, along with alleged violations of NIH data-security/password policy. No admission of liability; the Clinic's federal grants were placed under Specific Award Conditions for one year (October 2024-September 2025).

United States ex rel. Brouse v. Akron General Health System (owned by Cleveland Clinic Foundation)

Settled

Qui tam False Claims Act settlement (federal)Source ↗

SettledAkron General Health System (acquired by Cleveland Clinic Foundation in late 2015) agreed to pay $21.3 million to resolve allegations -- not an admission of liability -- that it paid referring physicians on this page fair market value in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute and Stark Law (2010-2016), then billed Medicare for the resulting referrals. Whistleblower Beverly Brouse, a former Akron General internal-audit director, brought the underlying qui tam action and received a share of the recovery. Cleveland Clinic self-disclosed the issue to regulators after acquiring Akron General and cooperated with the investigation.

United States/State of Ohio Settlement Agreement with Cleveland Clinic Foundation (billing codes for pediatric gender-affirming care)

Settled

US Department of Justice and Ohio Attorney General (civil settlement)Source ↗

SettledArising from an ongoing national DOJ investigation into billing practices (not confirmed as a Cleveland-Clinic-specific investigation dating to 2025), Cleveland Clinic agreed to a $308,000 payment ($300,000 to the United States, $8,000 to the State of Ohio) to resolve allegations of incorrect diagnostic billing codes submitted to insurers and Ohio Medicaid. Separately, as part of the same agreement, the Clinic committed to fund an estimated $2 million in medical-care costs for patients who have detransitioned (this is a cost commitment under the settlement, not an additional penalty), and agreed to a long-term (reported as decades-long) halt on providing puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones to minors for gender dysphoria. Cleveland Clinic disputes the underlying allegations; the settlement includes no determination of liability. This is a recent and politically significant matter -- reported here strictly as the settlement's stated terms, not as a characterization of the underlying medical or legal merits.

Van Brakle v. The Cleveland Clinic Foundation

Filed

Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, Ohio (Judge John P. O'Donnell)Docket CV-20-936348Source ↗

Filed — no final outcome recordedProposed (putative, not yet certified) class action alleging deceptive billing practices under the Ohio Consumer Sales Practices Act -- including failure to disclose the right to a cost estimate, failure to provide a receipt for a payment, misapplied payments, and referral of an allegedly overinflated debt to collections. Judge John P. O'Donnell denied Cleveland Clinic's motion to dismiss on January 14, 2021, allowing the case to proceed. Its current docket status (including whether a class was ever certified) could not be independently confirmed -- readers should check the live Cuyahoga County docket for the current disposition.

Di v. Cleveland Clinic Foundation (2016-Ohio-686)

Appeal decided

Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, Ohio (No. CV-13-806377); appealed to the Eighth District Court of Appeals (No. 101760)Source ↗

Appeal decidedMedical malpractice trial-court jury verdict of approximately $7.7 million (one source cites $7,625,000), arising from eye surgery the plaintiff -- himself a surgeon -- alleged damaged his iris/pupil and ended his surgical career; the award largely reflected lost future earnings. This was not the case's final outcome: the trial court had already reduced part of the non-economic damages, and on February 25, 2016 the Eighth District Court of Appeals affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded the case, requiring further application of Ohio's statutory damages cap. The $7.7 million figure should not be reported as a final, collected judgment amount.
EDITORIAL

What Cleveland Clinic Is

Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit academic medical center founded February 5, 1921 by four physicians -- George W. Crile, Frank E. Bunts, William E. Lower, and John Phillips -- who had served together in a US Army medical unit during World War I and adopted a group-practice model from military medicine. It is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 34-0714585). Today the system operates 23 hospitals and roughly 300 outpatient locations across Northeast Ohio, Florida, London, Las Vegas, Toronto, and Abu Dhabi, with about 83,000 employees (including 6,600 physicians and scientists), treating 3.6 million unique patients and handling 15.9 million visits annually. System-wide operating revenue was reported at $18.3 billion with a 5.0% operating margin. On its own Form 990 for fiscal year 2024, the parent Cleveland Clinic Foundation entity reported total revenue of $9,680,031,802, total expenses of $9,434,081,551, and net assets of $8,783,896,513 -- a narrower figure than the system-wide total because it covers only the parent nonprofit, not all subsidiary/affiliate entities. CEO Dr. Tom (Tomislav) Mihaljevic's reported total compensation for FY2024 was approximately $9.7 million. Cleveland Clinic has ranked in US News & World Report's Honor Roll of best hospitals for 35 consecutive years as of the 2025-2026 rankings.

EDITORIAL

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of organization is Cleveland Clinic?

Cleveland Clinic is a large, internationally recognized nonprofit hospital system.

How do I get help logging in to Cleveland Clinic MyChart?

Cleveland Clinic's MyChart help page lists MyChart Support at (866) 915-3383. It says MyChart uses two-factor authentication, also called two-step verification, at login and that this cannot be turned off. A new account can be activated through the link in a MyChart welcome email, with an activation code, or without a code by choosing Sign up with your information. For login trouble the page suggests checking the username and password, the network connection, and clearing browser cookies and cache. A forgotten username or password is recovered through MyChart Account Recovery with a code sent to the verified phone number or email address on file.

What phone numbers does Cleveland Clinic list for billing questions?

Cleveland Clinic's billing FAQ lists (216) 445-6249 and (866) 621-6385, Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. An itemized statement can be requested at (866) 621-6385 or through a callback scheduled in MyChart. Payments can be made online through MyChart, in person, by phone or by mail.

Does Cleveland Clinic offer financial assistance or payment plans?

Cleveland Clinic's billing FAQ says it offers zero-interest payment options, and that patients with commercial insurance or Medicare Advantage who cannot pay a copay at check-in can set up a 0% interest payment plan. For financial assistance questions before an appointment it lists (855) 831-1284 for Ohio and Nevada, Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern, and (954) 689-5610 for Florida, Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern. It states that eligibility requires being a self-pay legal resident of Ohio with income no higher than 400% of the federal income poverty guidelines.

What phone numbers does Cleveland Clinic list for booking an appointment?

Cleveland Clinic's appointments page lists (866) 320-4573 for Ohio, (877) 463-2010 for Florida and (702) 483-6000 for Nevada. The page also offers an online appointment form and a Schedule in MyChart option.

What is the main Cleveland Clinic phone line?

Cleveland Clinic's locations page shows (800) 223-2273 in its header and footer, and its pharmacy page lists the same number as the general assistance line. The pharmacy page lists (216) 445-6337 for pharmacy questions. The Clinic's headquarters is at 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44195.

How do I file a complaint about my care at Cleveland Clinic?

For care-related concerns not resolved directly with your department, contact the Office of Patient Experience (Ombudsman) at 216-444-2544 or 800-223-2273 ext. 42544 ([email protected]). Billing, scheduling, and medical-records issues are handled by separate departments -- the Ombudsman office explicitly does not cover those.

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