Practically every service-oriented business in America today talks about how in tune they are with their customers. Terms
like "caring" and "compassion" often are tossed about in their advertising collateral. For Summa Health System, an organized
delivery system situated in the heart of Northeast Ohio, and its health plan, SummaCare Inc., these aren't just clever lines
crafted by a copywriter.
"We have a philosophy of servant leadership," says Thomas J. Strauss, president and CEO of Summa Health System. "We have
a tag line that says if you are not serving the patient, you'd better be serving someone who is. Every new employee at orientation
is presented with that philosophy. It's something called 'the moment of truth,' which is the first 15 seconds you come in
contact with a patient in need. This is considered a moment of truth. We are empowering them to take whatever steps are necessary
to satisfy the patient. We give them little cards that say: 'You are this hospital.' We ask them to carry them around and
remember that they are Summa."
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As a part of Summa Health System, SummaCare embraces the philosophy of servant leadership "because it's at the very foundation
of our belief that our customers are why we exist and are the most important group we serve," according to Martin P. Hauser,
president of SummaCare. Hauser has held this position since SummaCare started in 1990 as a third-party administrator (TPA)
for the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., and began to sell insured products in 1993. "We were fortunate because several things came together at the right time," Hauser adds. "There was a commitment between physicians
and hospitals to work together to improve quality and reduce costs. At the same time, there were major employers with the
same vision, so we all came together to see that the vision become a reality for the benefit of everyone." Since beginning as a TPA, SummaCare has expanded into multiple product offerings. Another division of SummaCare is APEX Benefits
Services, a fully-licensed TPA that offers numerous cost-containment features for the self-funded employer. "With APEX now,
we've gone national and are managing a benefit plan for Fletcher Allen Health Care," Hauser says. "We're talking with a number
of hospitals and health systems around the country about actually managing their benefit needs."
The Summa organization is comprised of three hospitals (Akron City Hospital, Saint Thomas Hospital and Cuyahoga Falls General
Hospital), that serve as a robust medical enterprise for teaching. "We have a very involved teaching program of about 200
residents and 13 specialties at Akron City and Saint Thomas. Our facilities serve as the major teaching sites for Northeastern
Ohio Universities College of Medicine," Strauss says. "In Cuyahoga Falls, we have about 35 residents in nine specialties from
Ohio University." The Summa network also encompasses a physician-hospital organization (PHO), a charitable giving/fundraising
foundation and a research foundation.
Summa Health System in 2004 launched Summa Enterprise Group, an entity created to bring revenue-generating products and services
to market. "Summa Enterprise Group is a revenue-generation incubator to help start up new companies and health-related companies
and help offset some of the challenges we have on revenues," Strauss says.
A pharmacist by trade, Strauss joined Summa in 1999 with a pretty bold vision. "We wanted to be recognized as one of the finest
healthcare organizations—not only in Akron or in Ohio, but also in the United States—and to be the preferred provider of health
services in our region," he says. Strauss is excited because that vision has become a reality and Summa has been able to demonstrate
that in third-party reviews.
