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New facility, with offices, surgery and testing centers, will be about a mile from Medina General Hospital
By Cheryl Powell
Beacon Journal medical writer
Published on Tuesday, Feb 19, 2008
Summa Health System is partnering with Medina-area doctors to build an outpatient medical complex on state Route 18, about a mile from Medina General Hospital.
Summa on Monday announced plans to team up with a group of about 65 physicians called NorthEast Ohio Management Service Organization (NEOMSO) to construct and operate the 75,000-square-foot facility.
Initial plans call for the project to have a surgery center, a diagnostic testing center and physicians offices, said Thomas J. Strauss, Summa's president and chief executive.
Construction is expected to begin in late summer and be completed about a year to 14 months later.
''Everything we're attempting to do is to provide the best patient care in our community,'' said Dr. John M. Surso, a family physician in Medina and president and chairman of NEOMSO.
Surso said his group talked with several other Northeast Ohio hospitals, including Medina General, before opting to pursue a deal with Summa.
''They were very physician-oriented in terms of allowing physicians to joint-venture in this project,'' Surso said. ''We want to make sure that we have the ability to remain independent if we wanted to, rather than to become employees.''
Summa was among several Northeast Ohio health systems that had been courting Medina General Hospital last year, when the community hospital was seeking partnership opportunities with larger hospitals in Akron or Cleveland.
The community hospital opted to pursue a partnership
with University Hospitals Case Medical Center of Cleveland.
A Medina General spokeswoman declined to comment Monday about the Summa project.
Summa decided to build a mile down the street from Medina General to meet the health needs in fast-growing Medina County, not in response to the community hospital's decision to partner with another health system, Strauss said.
''Medina General is a wonderful organization of high quality,'' Strauss said. '' . . . We're not doing this as any reaction to what they're doing or their new potential relationship with UH. This is strictly looking at how we can expand our services as an integrated delivery system out into new markets.''
Surso, a former chief of staff at Medina General, said he plans to continue to practice at the community hospital after the new facility is completed.
Signet Development Ltd. of Akron also will be a partner in the project, which will be constructed on 10 acres straddling Medina and Montville townships.
The partners also have secured 20 adjacent acres for future expansion.
Strauss said the partners spent about $3 million to acquire the land. Calculations on the cost to build and equip the facility haven't been completed.
Monday's announcement is the latest in a series of moves that Summa has made in recent months to partner with doctors and other hospitals to expand its presence in the region.
Last month, Summa announced that it was teaming up with Summit County doctors to build a full-service 100-bed hospital off state Route 8 in northern Summit County within several years.
The location hasn't been selected yet, Strauss said.
Last year, the health system confirmed that it plans to partner with doctors from the Crystal Clinic to build a $90 million, 72-bed orthopedic building that will be jointly owned and operated on the Akron City Hospital campus.
In addition, Summa forged affiliations last year with WRH Health System in Medina County and Robinson Memorial Hospital in Portage County.
''We're really excited about what's happening,'' Strauss said. ''The organization has never seen stronger momentum. We really are looking at responsible growth and development, making sure we don't enter into markets without the opportunity for success.''
Cheryl Powell can be reached at 330-996-3902 or chpowell@thebeaconjournal.com.
Summa Health System is partnering with Medina-area doctors to build an outpatient medical complex on state Route 18, about a mile from Medina General Hospital.
Get the full article here.
