The board of directors of Summa Health are pleased with the progress of the organization the past two years. That conclusion rings clear in the statement it issued on Wednesday afternoon. The directors highlighted among the “biggest achievements” the $350 million makeover of facilities, an improved financial position and high marks for NewHealth Collaborative, the Summa accountable care organization.
These advances are real and deserve praise.
One item that probably did not appear on the to-do list for Thomas Malone when he became president and chief executive two years ago is: Fuel a revolt among hundreds of physicians with ties to the Summa system. Yet that result threatens to erode significantly what Summa has accomplished.
For all the discussion of the failed negotiations that triggered the abrupt change in emergency physicians, the larger concern for those who see Summa as such a valuable contributor to the larger community is the broader reaction among physicians. They have issued multiple statements of no-confidence in Malone’s leadership. They have talked about the emergency physicians episode as “the last straw.”
The culture at Summa has been described as tyrannical and afflicted with fear. One temptation is to view the clash as simply about business, or just part of the turmoil in health care, or driven by local conflicts of interest. Yet much of health care faces similar challenges. Few systems have reached the hard feelings expressed within Summa.
The risk is that if relationships are not repaired, the reputation of the institution suffers, the quality of leadership jeopardizing the quality of care.
The board of directors alluded to all of this in its statement, noting that the recent fallout “has brought to light the need for greater engagement with our employees and physicians.” Put aside examining how things got to this point. The board has committed to embracing “this engagement as a critical goal for the coming year.”
Even the aloof Malone, who ignored the advice so many parents give their children about how foolish acts on Facebook easily catch up with you, acknowledged in his own memo this week the “need to make some changes in our leadership culture.” He committed to doing “a better job of listening to the valuable input that our physicians and other employees have to offer.”
Such words are expected in these circumstances. The apparent test for the Summa board is deciding whether Malone has the leadership skills to achieve this “critical goal.” If physicians have their own agendas, that doesn’t leave management off the hook for the culture of the health system. The reminder shouldn’t be necessary that so many physicians are key to the achievements of Summa.
No one with the interests of the Akron community foremost in mind likes what is happening to this anchor institution. It may be Thomas Malone has achieved all that he can. If the Summa board decides otherwise, it has an obligation to ensure that he keeps his commitment to raise his game. Too much is at stake for Summa and the rest of us.