Summa Health System announced Friday that it is replacing the physicians who staff its five emergency rooms Sunday.
Dr. Thomas Malone, Summa’s president and CEO, said in a memo that Summa had a plan to “allow for the seamless transition of care for our community.”
But several people who work in Summa’s emergency rooms said Friday they were not prepared for a such an abrupt transition, particularly on New Year’s Day, when the number of patients seen in ERs tends to drop, but the critical needs of those patients tend to increase.
Summa Emergency Associates — an independent physician corporation that’s separate from Summa — has staffed Summa emergency rooms for decades. Its contract expires Dec. 31 and is being replaced with a new group of doctors under contract still being finalized with U.S. Acute Care Solutions (USACS) of Canton.
USACS works with hospitals across the country to provide similar groups of physician services. The company’s CEO, Dr. Dominic Bagnoli, is the husband of Dr. Vivian von Gruenigen, who was promoted earlier this year to Summa’s chief medical officer, one of the most powerful administrative positions at the health system.
Summa officials said Friday that von Gruenigen was not involved in choosing or negotiating a contract with her husband’s company and that she would not impact the relationship between Summa and USACS.
“To be clear, we take the potential for conflicts of interest very seriously and we take great steps to ensure we operate within all rules and regulations and in a manner compliant with ethical and business practices,” Summa officials said in a written response to Beacon Journal questions.
Summa’s ERs treated more than 166,000 patients last year at Akron City hospital and Summa facilities in Barberton, Medina, Green and Wadsworth, according to the health system’s website.
Surprise news
SEA has more than 60 emergency medicine physicians who staff Summa’s emergency departments.
News that Summa’s longtime ER doctors were out and USACS’ doctors were in came in a memo from Malone on Friday afternoon, less than 36 hours before Summa’s contract with SEA doctors expires.
“I realize this is disruptive and upsetting to some of you,” Malone wrote. “I share your frustration and I can assure you we have put a plan in place to allow for the seamless transition of care for our community.”
Malone told the staff negotiations with SEA continued through Thursday, but Summa and SEA couldn’t agree on several matters, including contract length.
“This was a contract dispute and there has never been a question related to the clinical quality, professional skill and expertise and the quality of the medical education that has been provided to Summa Health’s patients and resident physicians,” Malone wrote.
Within minutes of the memo going out to staff, Summa employees began calling the Beacon Journal. Some described doctors leaving the emergency rooms Friday crying. Others said nurses — some wearing armbands supporting SEA doctors — were huddled, talking about their fears of working with doctors they do not know.
Would USACS have enough ER doctors with credentials to work at Summa, a process that can take more than a month, they asked?
And because most, if not all of the incoming doctors would be unfamiliar with Summa’s unique computer systems, would the ER revert to paper records and files until the incoming doctors could learn the system?
No one from USACS could be reached for comment Friday. A staff member at the company’s Canton offices said many were gone for the holidays or meeting with Summa officials.
Summa officials declined to answer questions about the credentialing of USACS doctors or the health system’s plan to provide seamless care during the transition.
“We do not publicly discuss internal processes,” Summa said in response to questions about each.
On Friday evening, Dr. Jeff Wright, who leads SEA, said he’d still be willing to work out a “fair and equitable deal” with Summa, where he trained, where he had his three children and where, he said, the staff does excellent work.
Wright said SEA, which contracts with Western Reserve Hospital in Cuyahoga Falls, Wooster’s hospital and other health providers, has never lost a contract it bid on, including those in which they competed with USACS.
During negotiations with Summa, he said he offered three scenarios that he’s almost certain would have cost Summa less than USACS and wasn’t sure why Summa didn’t take his offer.
USACS offer
By Friday night, he said USACS had contacted each of the SEA emergency medicine doctors trying to get them to join USACS and return to work at Summa ERs.
None accepted, Wright said, even though emails shared by other Summa staff showed that USACS was offering each doctor a $100,000 incentive bonus for a long-term commitment, plus $75 per hour incentive pay above what they were already earning as physicians.
The email also indicated that Summa began talking with USACS on Dec. 24, before Malone had his only face-to-face meeting with SEA on its contract.
So what happens in Summa’s emergency rooms as 2016 winds down to New Year’s?
Wright said doctors in his group will end their shifts like any other.
They’ll assess each patient’s needs, let incoming doctors —this time from USACS — know what lab work or other test results may still be pending and then head home, or wherever else 2017 takes them.
Amanda Garrett can be reached at 330-996-3725 or agarrett@thebeaconjournal.com.