Charity Care (at cost)
As one of the area’s top safety net providers, in 2018 Summa Health provided nearly $9 million in charity care. This amount represents the net costs, not charges, associated with providing
care and does not include bad debt. Patients with incomes up to 200% of the federal poverty income guidelines, or who have a hospital bill that exceeds 25% of their gross annual income are eligible to apply for fully discounted charity care assistance. In addition, there is a sliding scale discount program for those who have income between 200% and 400% of the federal poverty income guidelines. In 2018, the charity care program benefited more than 17,800 patient encounters.
Un-reimbursed Cost of Medicaid
In 2018, Summa Health’s unpaid costs for Medicaid totaled more than $30.6 million. Ohio Medicaid reimbursements historically have not covered the cost of providing the care to the Medicaid beneficiaries.
Community Health Improvement Services
A large part of Summa’s work is offering preventive and wellness programs to build a healthier community. Throughout 2018, Summa provided more than $9.5 million to help fund vital health improvement activities such as free and low-cost health screenings, health education services and wellness programming.
Health Professions Education
Summa Health offers a strong medical education program and fosters a sought-after learning environment for the next generation of healthcare professionals. Approximately 241 residents and fellows trained at Summa Health’s three main hospitals. On average, approximately 38% of these residents remain in our local and surrounding communities. Summa Health has also invested more than $23.6 million of its resources to provide clinical learning experiences in medicine, nursing and allied health.
Subsidized Health Services
Summa Health is committed to providing subsidized health services – clinical services that meet an identified community need and are provided despite a financial loss. Vital services such as the Summa Health Senior Health Center, the Summa Health Traumatic Stress Center, the Summa Health Dental Clinic and our diabetes education efforts are offered even though they are not profitable. In 2018, the cost of our subsidized health services exceeded $29.8 million.