Summa Health on Tuesday released a 2016 Quality Report in an effort to be more transparent, the hospital said.
The report is “an analysis of areas in which the health system excels, as well as areas where improvement is needed,” the Akron-based hospital system said.
The hospital has faced scrutiny in recent months from large independent physician groups, who are not referring patients to Summa — some claiming concerns over the quality of care.
Spokesman Jim Gosky said the report was in the works well before any issues were raised by physician groups.
It is the first report since Summa committed more than two years ago to quality transparency, said Dave Orr, Summa vice president of quality.
“Our goals in providing these data are twofold: to serve as a fully transparent organization and to educate people, both internally and externally, on the work we are doing throughout the health system. We want our patients and families to know that they can trust our care and our commitment to quality,” he said.
Highlights of the report (which is included online with this story) include:
• Infection rates for colon surgeries and abdominal hysterectomies drastically improved, major drivers in past performance to hospital-acquired conditions, the hospital said.
• Performance on two other measures, Patient Safety Indicators and ursing Sensitive Indicators, are at or better than national averages on all indicators except central-line associated blood stream infections. The Summa nursing teams have worked on interventions to improve performance in this area that led to a large improvement for the fourth quarter of 2016, the hospital said.
• Summa’s 30-day “all-cause readmission rates” decreased throughout 2016.
Akron’s largest employer is undergoing large cuts as it anticipates an expected fiscal 2017 loss of $60 million.
In June, Summa said it would eliminate about 300 positions — about half of which were filled at the time — and will discontinue and consolidate some services. Last month, two units in the hospital, the in-patient oncology unit and ICU Step Down unit, were closed due to decreased volumes and consolidated to other floors.
Hospital officials have said construction will continue on the new $350 million West Tower with private patient rooms, expanded surgery suites, women’s health and other services on the City Hospital campus.
Betty Lin-Fisher can be reached at 330-996-3724 or blinfisher@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow her @blinfisherABJ on Twitter or www.facebook.com/BettyLinFisherABJ and see all her stories at www.ohio.com/betty
