1

Hospital Community Benefit Accountability

Announcement

The Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (HCPF) has curated examples of evidence for investment that showcase data that helps provide more insight into the hospitals’ community benefit investment. HCPF strongly encourages hospitals to provide metrics surrounding the evidence of investments’ outcomes compared to only narrative, if applicable. Below are examples of previous evidence provided to HCPF that hospitals can use for reference when organizing this coming year's evidence for investment outcomes. The evidence examples have been deidentified, and metrics have been changed.

  • Example 1: In 2021, the Center for Addiction Medicine (CAM) generated 40 media stories reaching 130 million people and engaged over 1,800 individuals through online overdose awareness campaigns. CAM supported the professional development of eight learners and secured $9.8 million in grants for 28 active projects. Its effectiveness is evident in opioid use disorder treatment, with 92% of patients inducted into treatment and 49% linked to ongoing care.
  • Example 2: Provided clinical experience and internships for 719 nursing students (programs that lead to a registered nurse license) in 2023. Also provided clinical experiences and internships for 329 advanced practice nursing students (graduate level: NP, DPT).
  • Example 3: In the 2022-2023 academic year, the Medical Career Collaborative (MC2) program served 140 high school students (72 juniors and 68 seniors) from 51 high schools. 93% of graduates plan to attend a 2 or 4-year college, and 94% of graduates declared a health or pre-health major. 97% of MC2 participants are students of color; 45% Hispanic/Latino, 21% Black/African American, 12% Asian/Pacific Islander, 12% multi-racial, 5% Middle Eastern, 4% White/Caucasian, and 1% American Indian/Alaskan Native.
  • Example 4: Offering 20 birthing classes serving 65 participants to contribute to improved birth outcomes.

HCPF would like to remind reporting hospitals that these are examples and that evidence of investment outcomes will be specific to its community health needs and associated programs and investments.

HCPF encourages hospitals to provide as much data as possible without compromising any sensitive or private information. This evidence can be provided in the community benefit reporting template, “Investments & Expenses Tab”, or as a separate document to be submitted through the Myers & Stauffer portal.

The Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (HCPF) would like to share with hospitals that the 2025 Reporting Template will be available for download from the Myers and Stauffer portal on April 1, 2025. The template will also be on the Hospital Community Benefit Accountability (HCBA) webpage.  

HCPF would also like to remind hospitals of the HB23-1243 Rules effective June 2024. HCPF encourages hospitals to hold the community benefit public meeting(s) earlier in the year. HB23-1243 added additional community engagement and reporting requirements including:

  • Sending public meeting invitations 30 days before the community benefit public meeting
  • Providing 30 days after the hospital’s community benefit public meeting for community members to provide feedback
  • Creating the hospital’s Community Benefit Implementation Plan after a 30-day feedback window

Failure to comply with these requirements will result in HCPF initiating a corrective action process outlined in 10 CCR 2505-10 8.5004. 

Hospitals are also required to submit the following reporting elements surrounding public meetings:

  • Invite list
  • List of attendees (can be deidentified)
  • Meeting agenda
  • Summary of public meeting discussion

Additionally, HCPF has collaborated with the Colorado Health Institute and published a Best Practices in Community Engagement Guide, which explored best practices in hospital engagement with their communities. Stakeholders can utilize this guide to address:

  • 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

The Best Practices in Community Engagement Guide and Resource Repository are located on the HCBA webpage. 

HCPF has created a suggested timeline to assist hospitals in aligning their community benefit public meeting(s) with the outlined community engagement and reporting requirements for this upcoming year. Please find the suggested timeline below. 

This is a timeline that outlines when hospitals should complete certain community benefit requirements in quarters throughout a year.

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