House Committee Hearing on Tax-Exempt Hospitals
The House Committee on Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee held its hearing this week on tax-exempt hospitals and the community benefit standard. The hearing focused on a September 2020 GAO study entitled Opportunities to Improve Oversight of Hospitals' Tax-Exempt Status and featured testimony from a GAO representative as well as the American Hospital Association and others. While the hearing raised questions about whether the community benefit standard for tax-exempt hospitals is sufficiently stringent, it provided no specific legislative proposals.
The hearing illustrates the importance of communicating the ways not-for-profit health care is meeting the needs of communities. CHA has released two new resources that can be used with community partners, policymakers, the media and other key stakeholders to help them better understand community benefit and the charitable obligations of tax-exempt hospitals.
Community Benefit Fact Sheet (2023)
Commonly Asked Questions About Community Benefit
The Foster G. McGaw Prize honors health delivery organizations (hospitals, health systems, integrated networks or self-defined community partnerships) that have demonstrated exceptional commitment to community service. The Baxter International Foundation, the American Hospital Association and its Health Research & Educational Trust invite you to be a national example of excellence and innovation in serving your community by applying for the 2024 Foster G. McGaw Prize. Deadline for submission is July 30, 2023. To learn more and apply here.
Community Health Improvement Week, June 12-18 led by the American Hospital Association and AHA Community Health Improvement. This annual recognition week is a time to honor the people working in partnership to improve the health and well-being of individuals and communities. Learn more here.
Assessing Reality in Healthcare Financial Information | HFMA (April 2023)
Understanding the purpose and use of distinct information sources is essential to assessing reality in healthcare information. This paper from HFMA's Principles and Practices Board examines various sources and how they should be applied to derive key insights.
A Population Health Impact Pyramid for Health Care – A new article by Philip M. Alberti, PhD, AAMC Center for Health Justice founding director, and Heather H. Piece, JD, MPH, the center's director of policy, published in the 100th anniversary special edition of The Milbank Quarterly, focused on the future of population health. The article, A Population Health Impact Pyramid for Health Care, explores how in order to meaningfully impact population health and health equity, health care organizations must take a multi-pronged approach that ranges from education to value-based purchasing to advocacy.
How community partnerships can play a central role in reducing cost of care and improving health outcomes | HFMA (Jan. 24, 2023) – This article provides several examples of community partnerships that are reducing the cost of care and improving health outcomes. It also provides suggested steps in building successful community partnerships.
Health Progress Spring 2023
Community Benefit – How Health Care Can Respond to End National Hunger
By Indu Spugnardi
IRS Form 990 Schedule H Webinar
Recording Now Available
Tax-exempt hospitals report their community benefit activities and other information related to their tax exemption on the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form 990, Schedule H. In this webinar, Stephen Clarke, discussed the recent scrutiny of tax-exempt hospitals' community benefit and reporting. Mr. Clarke also reviewed IRS Form 990, Schedule H reporting and changes and Section 501(r) oversight and enforcement, answering attendees questions.
Earth Day Webinar
Recording
In its annual Earth Day webinar CHA discussed why the Catholic health ministry is called as health care providers and the Catholic health ministry to invest our time and resources in efforts to address the ecological crisis facing our society. The webinar highlights food policy as one example of an investment health care organizations can make that can have a significant environmental impact.