Best Practices

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Posted by: Trina Hackensmith, Lyon Software

Date: March 2, 2010, 3:15 pm

I am putting together some “Best Practice” slides for an educational seminar I am involved in. The question is, “Who should be involved in Community Benefit Tracking and Reporting?” I would like some feedback from the CBISA Community including: who in upper level management is involved?; do you have board participation?; specific departments?; finance?; tax & legal?, etc.

Any insight you can provide will be helpful. If I use your comments, I will credit your name and hospital/system.

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Response: Roxanne Hull, Yavapai Regional Medical Center

Date: March 2, 2010, 3:41 pm

I wish I had some input, but at my hospital it’s me and a guy from finance at the moment. That is one of the topics I want to include in my first newsletter. I look forward to seeing the responses!

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Response: Kay Lynn Burnham, Central Montana Medical Center

Date: March 2, 2010, 3:50 pm

I am also the only contact along with our CFO.

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Response: Tina Heater, St. Francis Medical Center – Grand Island

Date: March 2, 2010, 3:54 pm

We have departments key in information; one person in finance gathers all this information and it is reviewed by another finance person. No input comes from upper management.

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Response: Jo Anne Leslie, Henry Ford Health System

Date: March 2, 2010, 3:53 pm

You must have your tax department involved, since they are ultimately responsible for filing the Schedule H of the annual 990 tax return. You will need the finance department, including the reimbursement staff involved also. Senior leadership / management must be involved to drive the message of the importance of data collection throughout the organization.

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Response: Augusta Mueller, Yale-New Haven Health

Date: March 2, 2010, 4:04 pm

I echo Jo Anne’s comments. Also, continue to engage your facility reporters and share with them your success stories.

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Response: Eileen Barsi, CHW

Date: March 2, 2010, 4:26 pm

We have defined the following Roles and Responsibilities:
1. Community Benefit Staff

In compliance with CHW Administrative Policy 40.4.001, Community Benefit staff:

a. Oversee the collection, inputting and reporting of data for the hospital’s community benefit services/programs report.

b. Educate facility managers and employees regarding the importance of accurate and complete reporting of Community Benefit activities and expenses.

c. Provide reminders to staff of reporting schedule to ensure timely capture of all activities.

d. Prepare quarterly Community Benefit report in accordance with system schedule for facility and system review.

2. Facility Finance Staff

Utilizing the decision support clinical cost accounting system in the standardized content categories established by the Catholic Health Association, and calculation guidelines provided by CHW Corporate Finance, facility finance staff prepare reimbursement-based Community Benefit information on a quarterly basis including the uncompensated costs of providing services through charity care, Medicaid, Medicare and other programs for indigent persons.

[admin]

Response: Renee Hanrahan, Via Christi Health System

Date: March 2, 2010, 4:32 pm

In order to have a successful and effective community benefit program, I believe that it should be fully integrated within the organization like any core function. As a result, “Benefit Tracking” should include: Community benefit advisory council members, community benefit staff, community benefit champions, facility coordinators, facility reporters and facility finance professionals.

“Community Benefit Reporting” should include: Health care system administrators, board members, community benefit advisory council members, communications/marketing staff, community benefit staff and finance personnel.

In our health system office, the Sr VP of Mission Integration reports directly to the President/CEO on Community Benefit related issues. Our reports are done in concert between the
Director of Community Benefit and Director of Finance (with help from a staff accountant). The board of directors is given a quarterly report and an annual report is shared with the community.

[admin]

Response: Vanessa Ivie, Presbyterian Intercommunity Health

Date: March 2, 2010, 5:17 pm

We also have reporters throughout hospital departments who key in their community benefit information; these individuals range from clerical staff to health educators to nurse managers. The Community Benefit Department reviews/approves all entries, and also works closely with the Finance Department to gather the “larger” dollars, i.e. charity care and overall net costs of certain departments/cost centers (involving upper management so they can review their respective departments’ figures).

We then share our annual report with our hospital BOD, foundation BOD, Community Benefit Oversight Committee, hospital management (including Finance) & staff responsible for overseeing community benefit programs + the community.

[admin]

Response: Angela Haggard, Provena Health

Date: March 2, 2010 5:25 pm

Below is our practice:

We have a community benefit coordinator at each of our ministries that is responsible for the overall coordination of the CBISA software (entry, accuracy, timeliness, training of reporters etc.). We have a variety of reporters at each ministry – if they are involved in community benefit we give them access to do their own reporting. Each ministry is to have a CB coordinator, a CB Finance rep and a Senior leader rep (typically the VP of Mission). Monthly there is a 1 hour system conference call that involves these folks to discuss and issue, concern, suggestion etc. I host/facilitate this call.

We them compile data on a quarterly basis. Quarterly the data is reviewed by the ministry CFO, CEO, & VP Mission. The ministries are also to share on a quarterly and annual basis with their Mission Committee of the board. The ministry specific #’s are then compiled to a system side-by-side comparison within the system and compared to the previous year and quarter (these reports are manually done – not part of CBISA). The system report is then reviewed quarterly at the system leadership meeting (direct reports of the system CEO). The quarterly process is simply a REVIEW there is no approval involved.

Annually, the CB data is approved by the ministry CEO, CFO, and VP Mission. Once that approval is received from the local ministries the system compilation is completed (this step involves myself, finance (tax & accounting), reimbursement, mission) then CB data is APPROVED by the System CEO, System CFO, System Mission Committee of the Board and the Board of Directors. The System Board of Directors as part of their approval process receives annual board education on Community Benefit.

[admin]

Response: Dawn Denton, Atlantic General Hospital

Date: March 3, 2010, 11:19 am

At our hospital every department is involved in Community Benefits. The reporting is done by a representative from each department. The report is compiled through our Community Education and Finance departments. Our Senior Leadership is very involved in doing and reporting community benefits.

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Response: Carol Howdyshell, Genesis Healthcare System

Date: March 3, 2010, 10:26 am

Those involved in tracking and reporting Community Benefit at Genesis Healthcare System are:

• Chief Human Resource Officer and Vice President of Finance who report Community Benefit directly to the Board and the CEO

• The Community Benefit Committee consisting of Chief Human Resource Officer, Director of Accounting, Director of Mission, Director of Cancer Services, Director of Women and Children Services, Director of Community Integration, Director of Life and Fitness Center, Manager of Lyons Software, representatives from Corporate Communications and staff development, and representatives of the Public Health Department and the area federally qualified health center

• Director of Corporate Consulting who oversees financial reporting of community benefit

• Department personnel who are designated to track and report specific community benefit programs and activities to the Community Benefit Committee

I look forward to learning results of your best practices quest.

I would like to extend sincere appreciation to Lyon Software for this listserve feature. The open sharing and mutual support among the group is priceless. That has just got to be a Best Practice in someone’s book!

[admin]

Response: Shannon Jordan, Good Samaritan Hospital

Date: March 3, 2010, 3:01 pm

Each individual department is responsible for entering their own community benefit activity. The finance department is responsible for reviewing and approving data the departments has entered as well entering the financial data such as charity, unreimbursed medicaid, etc. The information is made available to administration and the board for review. The info is also made available to the public yearly.

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Response: Michelle Brooks, University Health Systems of Eastern Carolina

Date: March 3, 2010, 4:06 pm

At UHS we have facility coordinators at each of our 8 hospitals,
they decide who in their organization will be given access as a reporter. In most cases we started with those departments that have traditionally done community benefit activity in their communities. Upper level management is involved all the way up to the system CEO and Board of Trustees. The hospital Presidents and CFO’s were educated early about community benefit and give a brief overview of what the system can do. I found it critical to have upper management support in order for folks to see the importance of tracking this information. With the advent of the new 990 and Schedule H, it has been easier to engage the finance/tax dept as this information is no longer “nice to have”, but required by the IRS! They are happy to know that this info is housed in a system wide database.

Our strategic framework goes to our Board this month. For the first time we now have a “Community Benefit ” pillar which outlines strategies to achieve certain identified community benefit goals. I am hopeful that I will be able to form a Board committee or at least an advisory committee to the executive committee of the Board. Hope this is helpful!

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