California legislation (SB697) mandates private not-for profit hospitals to report on charity care and the community benefits they provide in exchange for favorable "non-profit" tax status. This legislation requires hospitals to conduct collaborative community planning and develop benefit plans that address identified community needs. Over 200 not-for-profit hospitals endeavor to conduct collaborative population-based planning and resulting activities that will make a measurable impact on community health. Hospital community benefit planners often lack the perspective, skills or experience to conduct and implement productive community planning. However, the pressures on hospitals to demonstrate that they are meeting their community benefits obligations, be responsible for "covered lives" when participating in managed care, and maintain a positive community image are incentives to develop this capacity. The Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development, responsible for the implementation of the legislation, contracts with the Family Health Outcomes Project, University of California, San Francisco to build hospital capacity to conduct effective community benefit assessment and planning. This presentation: 1) summarizes the findings of focus groups conducted with hospital community benefit planners to identify the problems of hospitals and their collaboratives conducting assessment and planning. Examples of findings are their need for a population-based planning framework and guidance and methods to assist problem analysis, 2) discusses the steps taken and methods used to build / strengthen hospitals' community benefit planning and implementation capacity. These include development of a planners manual, focused workshops, and tools for data and problem analysis and prioritizing needs and activities.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this presentation, session participants will be able to 1. Articulate at least four assessment and/or planning challenges/problems identified by hospital community benefit planners 2. Identify at least five possible methods or techniques of building hospitals' board, staff and community collaborative understanding and capacity to achieve effective population-based assessment, planning and implementation 3. Discuss the importance for hospitals--in meeting their obligation to provide and demonstrate community benefits--of developing approaches and methods of community assessment, planning and implementation that result in measurable outcomes
Keywords: Community Benefits, Hospitals
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Family Health Outcomes Project, Family and Community Medicine, University of California, San Francisco
California Office of Statewide Health Planning
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: employment, Family Health Outcomes Project(FHOP), Family and Community Medicine, UCSF; California Office of Statewide Health Planning contracts with FHOP