Summa Health’s board of directors appears to like where Dr. Thomas Malone is leading the Akron-based health system even if many doctors who work there don’t.
On Wednesday, the board issued its first new statement since hundreds of physicians voted no-confidence in the medical system’s leadership nearly a week ago. The vote followed Summa’s decision to abruptly switch ER physician staffing groups on New Year’s Day.
In the statement, the board said it is watching as Summa leaders work to transform the health system. The 14-paragraph statement does not mention Malone or any Summa leaders by name or directly address the no-confidence votes.
It does, however, acknowledge some of the doctors’ complaints.
“This situation has brought to light the need for greater engagement with our employees, and physicians. Summa Health will embrace this engagement as a critical goal for the coming year, which the Board fully supports,” the statement reads.
In the statement, the board cites a number of “biggest achievements” that have happened over the past two years, including:
• A $350 million facilities plan, including $270 million in construction and renovation at Akron City and the Summa Barberton campus over five years.
• Two of the strongest fiscal years of the decade. Fitch Ratings and Moody’s Investors Service have said Summa’s rating outlook is stable or positive.
• An accountable care organization that is the only in the state to achieve savings three years in a row through the Medicare Shared Savings Program by meeting spending targets while providing quality care.
“Transformational changes like these do not come easily,” the board said in its statement. “And we take our responsibility seriously to set the organization’s vision and then engage with leadership regularly to ensure it is being executed.”
The board released the statement Wednesday after the Beacon Journal contacted each member this week to ask about the physician no-confidence vote, Malone and how Summa could overcome such a public split between management and some of its staff doctors.
Some board members, including Summa Health board chair James McIlvaine, didn’t respond. Others declined to comment, referring reporters to Summa’s administration.
Dr. Dale Murphy, an internal medicine physician and immediate past president of the Summa medical staff, said of the board statement: “It’s a lot of bragging about a lot of stuff, but what’s interesting is there’s no mention that 400 people have voted no-confidence.” Murphy said he would like to think that the board purposely didn’t mention Malone.
“I think that the board is being very careful about what it says. We’re hopeful that we’re headed in the right direction,” he said.
Questions unanswered
It’s not entirely clear who is on Summa’s board.
The Beacon Journal this week contacted or left messages with what is believed to be the existing 12 members of Summa’s board of directors. Requests to confirm the list of directors to Summa by the Beacon Journal have not been answered, so the Beacon is using the list of directors on Summa’s website. However, lists of other leadership positions or boards on Summa’s website are not up-to-date.
The board has not met since Jan. 4 — the day before hundreds of doctors met on a snowy evening and voted no-confidence in Malone and called for the resignation of the CEO and his leadership.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the letter of no-confidence in Malone and his leadership has been signed by 230 Summa physicians. Additionally, two letters of no-confidence were sent to the board on behalf of two large primary care physician groups and signed by their doctors. Also, an online survey link that allows doctors to anonymously say whether they would vote no-confidence is continuing to grow, and as of Wednesday afternoon it had 402 voting no-confidence and 20 voting for Malone.
Summa’s communications department has declined the Beacon Journal’s repeated requests to make Malone or anyone from the board available for an interview. The board, in its statement, did not indicate when it would meet next, though said it “is keeping a regular pulse on the operations of the organization to ensure delivery of high-quality care that our community depends on us for.”
Summa minority owner Mercy Health has three members on Summa’s board — Daryl Cameron, Robert Shroder and Brian Smith — although only one is still affiliated with Mercy, said Maureen Richmond, a Mercy Health spokeswoman at the company’s Cincinnati headquarters.
Cameron is a past Mercy Health-Youngstown board member and Shroder retired after more than 20 years with the system, Richmond said.
Smith became Mercy Health’s chief operating officer in April.
On Tuesday, Richmond, on behalf of the board members, referred all questions to Summa.
Another question is whether Dr. Vivian von Gruenigen, Summa’s chief medical officer whose husband is the CEO of the new emergency room physician group, is still a voting member of the board.
Board openings
Dr. Hitesh Makkar, vice president of the Summa medical staff, said an application window has been open from Dec. 15 until Friday for two board openings to be chosen by the medical staff. Those openings are for board seats held by von Gruenigen and Dr. Scott Wilber, an emergency room physician with the group whose contract was not renewed. Wilber resigned on Jan. 2, though Murphy said he had plans before the ER switch to accept a position out of state.
Murphy said the medical staff asked von Gruenigen to step down from her board responsibility when she was promoted to her new position in July. However, the board said her term lasted through February of this year, Murphy said.
After applications are received, the medical executive committee will choose a slate of physicians to submit to the board, which will choose the two successors, said Makkar, who is part of a critical-care specialist group whose contract with Summa recently wasn’t renewed.
Betty Lin-Fisher can be reached at 330-996-3724 or blinfisher@thebeaconjournal.com. Amanda Garrett can be reached at 330-996-3725 or agarrett@thebeaconjournal.com.