August 2015
Poll Question
Visit the Community Benefit Connect home page and respond to the poll question:
“At your hospital, do community benefit staff and finance/accounting staff work together to complete the Form 990 Schedule H?”
A) Yes
B) No
C) I don’t know
Results will be published in our next quarterly newsletter.
Poll Question Results
“Does your hospital partner with the local or state public health department to conduct the Community Health Needs Assessment?”
Community Benefit Connect Brings Us Together
Do you have a question? Community Benefit Connect has an answer!
Ask CB Connect is an electronic discussion forum is to encourage professional discussions among individuals interested in community benefit. This forum focuses on ideas, questions, and concerns specific to community benefit and community health improvement.
NEWS
An important occurrence in community benefit has been the 2015 IRS Report to Congress on hospital contributions. The report states, on average, community benefit was 9.67% of total hospital expenses.
The IRS, in consultation with the Department of Health and Human Services, completed a report on the activities of tax-exempt and other hospitals. Community benefit categories that were counted include charity care, unreimbursed costs of Medicaid, community health improvement, research, subsidized services, health professions education, cash and in-kind donations, and community benefit operations.
- 5.42% of community benefit expenses were for charity care and Medicaid shortfall.
- 4.24% of community benefit expenses were for the other community benefit categories.
View the report: IRS Report to Congress on Community Benefit Contributions
How does your hospital compare to this national average?
Live Q & A: Community Health Needs Assessment and Implementation Strategy
September 10, 2015 12pm PT / 3pm ET
Duration 30 minutes
Presented by: Melissa Biel, RN, DPA
Co-Founder Community Benefit Connect
Join community benefit colleagues for a question-and-answer session on Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNA) and Implementation Strategies.
Before the presentation, please review the summary document, which provides an overview of the final IRS rules on Community Health Needs Assessments. This session will:
- Review the notable changes in the final IRS rules for charitable hospitals specific to conducting a Community Health Needs Assessment and adopting an Implementation strategy.
- Answer your questions about collaborative planning, distribution of reports and soliciting public comment, engaging the public in planning and prioritizing health needs timing, evaluation of impact, and other topics.
This live Q & A is designed as a participatory event to answer your questions about CHNAs and implementation strategies. You are invited to submit questions in advance by emailing them to Melissa Biel at mbiel@communitybenefitconnect.org. Questions will also be taken live during the session.
Community Benefit Coaching
Community Benefit Connect experts are available for coaching sessions and consulting. Community Benefit Connect helps when:
- You have questions about community benefit
- You need advice to adopt new practices, or
- You would benefit from validation of your current practices.
We provide national experts to address your community benefit needs. Our areas of expertise include:
- Community Health Needs Assessments and Implementation Strategies
- Measuring impact of community programs
- Healthy communities evaluation and program development
- Financial assistance policies and procedures
- Community benefit planning and reporting
- Program evaluation
- Staff training
- Executive leadership and Board development
For each engagement, we will connect you with knowledgeable and proven professionals.
WEBINARS
Join us as we explore information pertinent to community benefit practice and community health improvements. All webinars are saved in the archives where you can access them anytime!
October 20, 2015 8:30am PT / 11:30am ET
Duration 1 Hour
Sandra J Wolfskill, FHFMA
Director, Healthcare Finance Policy, Revenue Cycle MAP
Healthcare Financial Management AssociationMark Rukavina
Principal of Community Health Advisors, LLCFinancial Assistance, IRS Form 990 Schedule H, Needs Assessments, and Implementation Strategies are of keen interest to both hospital finance and community benefit professionals. Community benefit investments and activities are coming under increased scrutiny and should be attentively monitored. Yet, it is not routine for finance departments and community benefit staff to be coordinating efforts. This session will identify the importance of coordinating community benefit investments and financial assistance policies for the mutual benefit of both departments, as well as the hospital and community residents. HFMA’s Dollars & Sense program will be reviewed as a useful resource for communicating effectively with patients about financial assistance and building community-wide goodwill. Recommendations and suggestions will be provided for ways that finance and community benefit managers can strengthen collaboration to increase transparency and improve communication on community benefit investments.Watch your mail for registration information coming soon!
Past webinars available in the archives:
Data and Scientific Resources to support Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNA) and the Community Health Improvement (CHI) Process – Vickie Boothe, MPH
This webinar focused on practical, user-friendly tools and resources designed to assist not-for-profit hospitals, health departments, and community based organizations with assessing community health status, identifying disparities, prioritizing health needs, and evaluating health impact.
Connecting Mission and Margin through Hospital Community Benefit – IRS and Treasury Regulations in an Era of Heightened Transparency – Mark Rukavina
FEATURED WEBSITES
THRIVE Tool by the Prevention Institute
THRIVE is a tool to prioritize the factors within communities that can help improve health and safety. The tool identifies key factor and allows a user to rate how important that factor might be in the community. It also provides information about how each factor is related to health outcomes.
Website
THRIVE Assessment Worksheet
Community Commons
Community Commons is a place where data, tools, and stories come together to inspire change and improve communities. The site provides public access to thousands of meaningful data layers that allow mapping and reporting capabilities so you can thoroughly explore community health. Check out the Vulnerable Populations Footprint mapping tool to find areas in your community with low educational attainment and high poverty.
Website
Copyright © 2015 Community Benefit Connect, All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
501 S Idaho St, Ste 300
La Habra, CA 90631
