Community Benefit Financials
The Health System's policy is to accept all patients regardless of their ability to pay. In assessing a patient's ability to pay, the Health System's policy uses generally recognized income levels, but also considers cases where incurred charges are significant when compared to income. Health care services rendered to patients who are unable to pay according to these criteria are classified as traditional charity care.
The Health System's policy is also to sponsor numerous health care-related programs for the general community and the medically underserved population in the area it serves. Some of these programs include mobile medical vans, health and dental clinics, prenatal programs, health referral services, and bilingual health education and are referred to as community services.
2011 |
Total Community
Benefit Expense,
at Cost
|
|
Unsponsored
Community Benefit
Expense, at Cost
|
Benefits for the poor: |
|
Traditional charity care
|
$ 94,164 |
2.3% |
$ 10,668 |
$ 83,496 |
2.1% |
Community services for the poor
|
47,661 |
1.2% |
4,134 |
43,527 |
1.1% |
Unpaid cost of state and local programs
|
414,480 |
10.3% |
252,669 |
161,811 |
4.0% |
Total quantifiable benefits for the poor |
556,305 |
13.8% |
267,471 |
288,834 |
7.2% |
Benefits for the broader community: |
|
|
|
|
|
Community services for the broader community
|
31,437 |
0.8% |
1,349 |
30,088 |
0.7% |
Total quantifiable benefits for the broader community |
31,437 |
0.8% |
1,349 |
30,088 |
0.7% |
Total community benefits |
$587,742 |
14.6% |
$268,820 |
$318,922 |
7.9% |
In addition, the Health System incurred $316,210,000 and $282,076,000 in costs in excess of reimbursement from the Medicare program in 2011 and 2010, respectively.