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Hospital Community Benefit Accountability

Announcement

The Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (HCPF), in partnership with the Colorado Health Institute (CHI), would like to announce the publication of the Best Practices in Community Engagement Guide. HCPF requested CHI to explore best practices in hospital engagement with their communities as described in House Bill (HB)23-1243. HCPF and CHI held a stakeholder forum in November 2023 to solicit feedback on best practices, attendees included community-based organizations, advocacy groups, local public health agencies, community health care providers, home and community based service providers, hospitals and hospital systems in Colorado. This guide offers recommendations based on this forum. Stakeholders can utilize this guide as it addresses:

  • Best practices for nonprofit hospitals to conduct community engagement, especially with populations experiencing disproportionate health outcomes.
  • Best practices for avoiding duplication in community needs assessments.

Links to the Best Practices in Community Engagement Guide and a repository of resources shared by stakeholder partners during the November forum are below.

HCPF encourages hospitals to utilize the Best Practices in Community Engagement Guide for upcoming community benefit public meetings and implementation plan process for the Community Health Needs Assessments. 

HB 23-1243 Implementation Timeline

  • Stakeholder Engagement - February-April 2024
  • Public Rule Review Meeting (PRRM) - April 22, 2024
  • Initial Medical Service Board (MSB) Meeting - May 10, 2024
  • Final MSB Hearing - June 14, 2024
  • Effective date of revised rules - July 30, 2024
  • Hospital reports due - September 13, 2024

1243 Hospital Community Benefit Accountability Rules - Effective July 30, 2024

Overview

House Bill (HB) 19-1320 requires non-profit tax exempt general hospitals, Denver Health Medical Center, and University of Colorado Hospital, to complete a community health needs assessment every three years and an annual community benefit implementation plan every year. These hospitals are required to report to the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) the following:

  • Certain community benefits
  • Costs
  • Shortfalls in the preceding year

Any hospital not required to report is encouraged to do so.

Each hospital is required to convene a public meeting at least once a year that will be used to seek feedback on the hospital's community benefit activities and the hospital's community benefit implementation plan. Hospitals are required to invite the following entities to participate:

  • Representatives from local public and local government agencies
  • Representatives from certain state agencies
  • The general public

HB 19-1320: Hospital Community Benefit Accountability

HB 23-1243, Hospital Community Benefit, expands on the previous legislation of HB 19-1320 by including changes to hospitals' community benefit activity requirements, and imposes certain requirements on public meetings regarding hospitals' community benefit activities and implementation plans.

HB 23-1243: Hospital Community Benefit

Requirement changes between HB 19-1320 and HB 23-1243 include the following:

1. Hospital requirements on invite list for public meetings:

  • Posting the invitation on hospital website
  • Social media page(s)
  • Hospitals e-newsletter
  • Email list(s)
  • Posted at least 30 days prior to meeting date

2. Share previous years' community benefit activities:

  • Amount funded for each activity
  • Description of how activities and funding align with community priorities

3. Required to provide evidence showing:

  • How investment improves community health outcomes
  • How the investment directly corresponds to community identified needs

4. Submit the following to HCPF:

  • Details of who attended meeting
  • Topics discussed
  • Decisions made as a result – pertaining to community benefit
  • Community feedback

5. Make each report available to the public

6. HCPF is required to:

  • Conduct stakeholder meetings to determine best practices to ensure diverse input from local community members
    • Meaningfully engaged
    • Best practices for hospitals to collaborate with local health agencies/community organizations to reduce redundant community health needs
  • Include tax exemption information in the annual report (This has already been done by HCPF but is now required. Additionally, analysis will be done by the Department of Revenue going forward.)
  • Take remedial action if hospital fails to comply
    • Require reporting hospital to submit corrective action plan within 120 days for approval by state department
    • If a reporting hospital fails to submit corrective action plan (hospitals non-compliance), there is potential for weekly fines between $5,000 and $20,000 for each violation

HCPF will send updates via email. Please sign-up for Hospital Community Benefits Updates. To complete the sign-up process, enter your contact information and select the Hospital Community Benefit box.

Contacts to be invited to public meetings:

Each Reporting Hospital shall invite, at a minimum, representatives from the following entities to participate in the meeting if any such entities operate in the hospital’s community:

  • General Public;
  • A member of the tribal council or their designee for a hospital whose community includes one of Colorado’s land-based tribes;
  • A member from the Urban Indian Organization for a hospital whose community includes a federally designated Urban Indian Health Center or Urban Indian Organizations;
  • A member from an institution of higher learning for a hospital whose community includes such institutions;
  • Local public health agencies;
  • Local chambers of commerce and economic development organizations;
  • Local health care consumer organizations;
  • School districts;
  • County governments;
  • City and town governments;
  • Community Health Center;
  • Certified rural health clinics or primary care clinics located in a county that has been designated as a rural or frontier county;
  • Area agencies on aging;
  • Safety Net Clinics; and
  • Health care consumer advocacy organizations.

Reports

Back to: Hospital Reports Hub

Reporting Hospitals

Please visit the hospital website for their submitted Hospital Community Benefit Accountability Report, or you can email hcpf_hospitalcommunity@state.co.us to request a copy of the submitted report.

Resources

Updates

Contact

hcpf_hospitalcommunity@state.co.us