Joint Commission reviews safety complaint about Summa Health

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The Joint Commission is reviewing a complaint of a patient safety concern reported about Summa Health System in Akron, Ohio, according to an Akron Beacon Journal report.

A spokeswoman for the Joint Commission told the Akron Business Journal the Office of Quality and Patient Safety was "currently reviewing the concern," but could not disclose details.

A Summa spokesman told the paper the system "take[s] patient safety concerns very seriously," and Summa will "respond in the appropriate time period as determined by the Joint Commission to allow them to determine if anything did actually occur." Per the spokesman, anyone can make an anonymous complaint to the Joint Commission.

The safety complaint comes as Summa abruptly changed the physician group that staffs several of its emergency rooms. A contract with Summa Emergency Associates expired Saturday, and now some ERs are staffed by physicians from US Acute Care Solutions. Some residents at Summa took issue with the change, voting "no confidence" in the system's president and CEO.

The system's board stands with President and CEO Thomas Malone, MD, and Summa says the transition is "seamless."

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