The Hilltop Institute's Hospital Community Benefit Program has just released its third issue brief, entitled Hospital Community Benefits after the ACA: Partnerships for Community Health Improvement. The brief discusses a variety of options for collaboration in assessment, planning, priority setting, and implementation of health improvement initiatives; provides examples of diverse models already in place; and examines their impact on the communities in which they occur. It is the third in a series, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Kresge Foundation, to be published over three years.
The first issue brief, entitled Hospital Community Benefits after the ACA: The Emerging Federal Framework, provided historical background on federal hospital community benefit policy; outlined the new requirements described in the Affordable Care Act (ACA); and identified new challenges and opportunities for state and federal decision makers.
The second brief, entitled Hospital Community Benefits after the ACA: Building on State Experience, took a closer look at three aspects of community benefits affected by the ACA §9007, "Additional Requirements for Nonprofit Hospitals"-community health needs assessment; hospital financial assistance and billing and collection policies; and community benefit reporting and oversight strategies-and considered each of these issues against a backdrop of federal and state experience and practice.
Hilltop's Hospital Community Benefit Program is the central resource created specifically for state and local policymakers who seek to ensure that tax-exempt hospital community benefit activities are responsive to pressing community health needs. The program provides tools for state and local policymakers who would encourage nonprofit hospitals and other stakeholders to adopt collaborative, effective activities and programs to improve community health. Martha H. Somerville, JD, MPH, directs the program, which is funded for three years through the generous sponsorship of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (www.rwjf.org) and the Kresge Foundation (www.kresge.org).
To learn more about the program, contact Martha Somerville.
To access the issue briefs online, click on the titles; to contact Martha Somerville, click on her name.
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