9/6/2012 - West Side Leader
     

County executive to host development forum in Falls

CUYAHOGA FALLS — Summit County Executive Russ Pry, in partnership with the Cuyahoga Falls Chamber of Commerce, will present a Sharing Resources to Better Economic Development Forum Sept. 13 at 8:30 a.m. at the Quirk Cultural Center, 1201 Grant Ave.

The forum will allow residents to meet with public officials and participate in a discussion about economic development in the city of Cuyahoga Falls and the Village of Silver Lake.

Guests joining Pry for the forum will include Cuyahoga Falls Mayor Don Robart, Silver Lake Mayor Bernie Hovey, Summit County Council members Gloria Rodgers (R-District 3) and John Schmidt (D-District 2), state Rep. Kristina Roegner (R-District 42) and state Sen. Frank LaRose (R-District 27).

Information about available local and state programs and services designed to improve economic development in Cuyahoga Falls and Silver Lake will be presented, according to Pry’s office.

For more information or to make a reservation, call 330-643-8626.

Summa and area physician groups partnering to create PCCN

AKRON — Summa Health System, Community Health Care and Pioneer Physicians Network have come together to create a for-profit management services organization (MSO). The Patient-Centered Collaborative Network (PCCN) will be jointly owned, with the physician groups equally owning 51 percent and Summa owning 49 percent, according to Summa officials.

The goal of the PCCN is to further integrate the physician groups and Summa through clinical and business initiatives that improve the health of the communities they serve, add value and eliminate redundancy and fragmentation, according to Summa officials. The new company will initially focus on providing revenue cycle services for Community Health Care, Pioneer Physicians Network and Summa Physicians Inc.

“Summa is built on the belief that great patient care is centered on strong relationships with our physicians,” said Tom Strauss, Summa Health System president and CEO. “By working closely with them, both employed and independent, we are able to provide an infrastructure that ultimately helps move us away from our nation’s current sick-care system to one that is truly focused on health care. The PCCN is critical to that movement because it will provide important operational efficiencies that lead to greater value for our patients.”

The MSO provides a redesigned and efficient business function that is specifically developed for the coming changes in health care delivery, according to Summa officials. The initial business provides software, credentialing, billing and collection services to more than 300 physicians.

“As our nation embarks on a new era of health care, now, more than ever, it is critical that we find ways to work together rather than simply looking for ways to compete,” said Dr. Rodney Ison, Community Health Care president. “The creation of the PCCN is an important milestone for our community because it not only provides an opportunity for two independent physician groups to work together, but also includes an organization like Summa that has repeatedly shown a desire to work collaboratively with doctors to best serve our communities.”

Maria Lindsay and Ariel Hakim contributed to these reports.

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