Illinois Hospital Association

Members Login Automatically
login		   User ID:   Password: Forgot your password?
Don't have a password?

Charity Care/Community Benefit - Tools and Information
  1. Take Action
    1. Illinois Community Benefit Act: Value of Benefits Provided to the Community (2010)
    2. The Value of Caring: The Economic Impact of Metropolitan Chicago Area Hospitals on the Region's Economy (November 2008 - Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council)
    3. In Support of Hospital Property Tax Exemption 
    4. Hospital Charity Care: Working Toward a Reasonable Approach 
    5. Suggested Hospital Talking Points (password required)
    6. IHA Analysis of Flawed Report on Hospitals' Tax-Exempt Value and Charity Care
      - Press Release: Report Acknowledges Hospitals Provide Community Benefits More Than Five Times Their Tax-Exempt Value 
  1. Raising Awareness of Your Community Hospital’s Value
    1. IHA Community Benefits Report - Illinois Hospitals Caring for Their Communities: More Than You See (July 2009)
    2. Hospitals Caring for Communities (AHA Resource)
    3. Underpayment by Medicare and Medicaid Fact Sheet (AHA)
    4. Uncompensated Hospital Care Cost Fact Sheet (AHA)
    5. IHA Letter on Hospital Community Benefits (Daily Southtown)
    6. Strengthening Relationships with Your Legislators: A Mini-Residency
      A series of documents that provides information on how to educate and familiarize your elected officials about emerging issues facing hospitals, as well as the benefit to the community your facility provides. The program can also be used to educate other community leaders.
    7. Telling Your Hospital’s Story in Illinois
      Sample press release, letter to the editor and guest column that can be tailored and submitted to your local media outlets.
    8. Valuable Insights to Minimize Challenges on Charity and Tax Exemption
      A memo outlining best practices for hospitals presented at an IHA seminar.
    9. American Hospital Association (AHA members only - requires password from AHA)
      A sample toolkit to help hospitals tell their story to their community.
    10. American Hospital Association
      Information to help the public understand what hospitals do for their community.
       
  2. Illinois Community Benefits Act
    1. Illinois Community Benefit Act: Value of Benefits Provided to the Community (2010)
    2. Community Benefits Act: June 30, 2005 Filing and Public Notice
      A memo on filing of required annual report and public notice that these reports are available.
    3. Community Benefits Act: Report Form
      Annual reporting form for the Illinois Community Benefits Act.
    4. Community Benefits Act: Compliance Instructions
      Instructions issued by the Illinois Attorney General’s office in February 2004.
    5. Community Benefits Act: Reporting in Illinois - Definitions and Standards for Reporting
      A memo regarding what types of benefits to count and how Illinois law differs from CHA/VHA report definitions. The memo includes the June 2004 CHA/VHA report.
    6. Illinois Community Benefits Act 210 ILCS 76/1
      A document providing legislative language on the Illinois Community Benefits Act.

     

  3. Community Benefit Resources
    1. Illinois Community Benefit Act: Value of Benefits Provided to the Community (2010)
    2. IHA Community Benefits Report - Illinois Hospitals Caring for Their Communities: More Than You See (July 2009)
    3. Hospitals Caring for Communities (AHA Resource)
    4. AHA's Community Connections Case Example Booklet Highlights IHA Member Hospitals (Jan. 2008)
    5. Associations Challenge Assessor's Valuation of Tax-Exempt Hospitals in Cook County
    6. Care in Action: How the People and Programs of America's Tax-Exempt Hospitals Benefit Their Communities Every Day (AHA)
    7. Underpayment by Medicare and Medicaid Fact Sheet (American Hospital Association
    8. Uncompensated Hospital Care Cost Fact Sheet (American Hospital Association
    9. IHA Letter to Sen. Grassley re: Tax-Exempt Hospitals
      - U.S. Senate Committee on Finance - Minority Staff Draft Paper on Tax-Exempt Hospitals
    10. AHA Guidance on Reporting of Community Benefit
    11. Association for Community Health Improvements
      The Association for Community Health Improvements provides tools and methods to improve community benefit practices.
    12. Catholic Health Association of the United States
      One of the forerunners in developing community benefits reporting, the Catholic Health Association of the United States’ web site provides access to their guidelines and books.
    13. Lyon Software
      Community Benefits/Social Accountability Software developed in conjunction with CHAUSA guidelines.
       
  4. Charity Care
    1. Illinois Community Benefit Act: Value of Benefits Provided to the Community (2010)
    2. IHA Letter on Hospital Charity Care (Chicago Sun-Times, 3/30/10)
    3. Hospitals Caring for Communities (AHA Resource)
    4. Supreme Court to Review Provena Tax-Exemption Case (11/26/08)
    5. Preparing for the New IRS 990: It's No Longer Just a Finance Document (6/3/08)
    6. IHA Comment Letter on IRS Form 990 (5/29/08)
    7. IHA's Provena Appellate Court Amicus Brief (1/29/08)
    8. Final Revised Draft of IRS Form 990 (1/10/08)
    9. Associations Challenge Assessor's Valuation of Tax-Exempt Hospitals in Cook County
    10. Care in Action: How the People and Programs of America's Tax-Exempt Hospitals Benefit Their Communities Every Day (AHA)
    11. IHA Letter on Hospital Community Benefits (Daily Southtown)
    12. HFMA Issues Guidelines for Reporting Charity Care and Bad Debt (AHA News Now)
    13. In Support of Hospital Property Tax Exemption
    14. Hospital Charity Care: Working Toward a Reasonable Approach
    15. Suggested Hospital Talking Points (password required)
    16. Chicago Sun-Times Editorial: To Put it Charitably, Hospital Proposal Isn't Fair
    17. IHA Analysis of Flawed Report on Hospitals' Tax-Exempt Value and Charity Care  
      - Press Release: Report Acknowledges Hospitals Provide Community Benefits More Than Five Times Their Tax-Exempt Value
    18. Report of the Task Force on Charity Care and Collection Practices for the Uninsured of the IHA and MCHC
      The Voluntary Guidelines on charity and collections adopted by the IHA and MCHC Boards in September 2003.
    19. CMS Guidance on Providing Discounts to the Uninsured
      - Feb. 19, 2004 press release that includes letter to the AHA
      - CMS Questions and Answers Issued on Feb. 19, 2004
      - Feb. 2004 CMS Transmittal Article on Uninsured
    20. American Hospital Association (AHA members only - requires password from AHA)
      Information on charity issues around the United States and federal activity on uninsured billing and collections.
    21. Acts of Charity: Charity Care Strategies for Hospitals in a Changing Landscape (PriceWaterhouseCoopers publication)
    22. Healthcare Financial Management Association’s Patient Friendly Billing Project
      This document contains useful information on improving financial assistance policies for the uninsured.
    23. HFMA Resource Library (Collection of articles, fact sheets, links, presentations, regulatory, reports, and tools & measures) From the drop down menu, choose the topic and then the type of content you wish to view.
      - Reimbursement - Uninsured
      - Revenue Cycle - Billing & Collection
    24. The Self-Sufficiency Standard
      This document contains, detailed by Illinois county, information on how much money working adults need to meet their basic needs. This information may be useful in the development of charity and medical indigence policies.
       
  5. Facts and Figures
    1. Illinois Community Benefit Act: Value of Benefits Provided to the Community (2010)
    2. IHA Community Benefits Report - Illinois Hospitals Caring for Their Communities: More Than You See (July 2009)
    3. Underpayment by Medicare and Medicaid Fact Sheet (AHA)
    4. Uncompensated Hospital Care Cost Fact Sheet (AHA)
    5. The Value of Caring: The Economic Impact of Chicago’s Hospitals on the Metropolitan Chicago Area
      A MCHC study on hospitals’ economic impact on the local economy.
    6. Beyond Health Care - The Economic Contribution of Hospitals
      (AHA study)
    7. Kaiser Family Foundation
      Numerous articles on the national uninsured population.
    8. Families USA - Wrong Direction: One Out of Three Americans Are Uninsured
      This report reveals the state of Illinois has nearly 3.6 million uninsured under the age of 65 at some point during the year 2006-2007.
    9. Gilead Outreach & Referral Center
      The Gilead Outreach & Referral Center annually publishes data on the
      uninsured population in Illinois.
    10. AHA Fact Sheet on Uncompensated Hospital Care Cost
       
  6. Tax Exemption
    1. Supreme Court to Review Provena Tax-Exemption Case (11/26/08)
    2. Provena to Seek Illinois Supreme Court Review (9/9/08)
      - Appellate Court Ruling
    3. Preparing for the New IRS 990: It's No Longer Just a Finance Document (6/3/08)
    4. IHA Comment Letter on IRS Form 990 (5/29/08)
    5. IRS Releases Draft Instructions for Form 990 (4/21/08)
    6. IHA's Provena Appellate Court Amicus Brief (1/29/08)
    7. Final Revised Draft of IRS Form 990 (1/10/08)
    8. Associations Challenge Assessor's Valuation of Tax-Exempt Hospitals in Cook County
    9. Underpayment by Medicare and Medicaid Fact Sheet (AHA)
    10. Uncompensated Hospital Care Cost Fact Sheet (AHA)
    11. IHA Letter to Sen. Grassley re: Tax-Exempt Hospitals
      - U.S. Senate Committee on Finance - Minority Staff Draft Paper on Tax-Exempt Hospitals
    12. IHA Letter on Hospital Community Benefits (Daily Southtown)
    13. On March 9, 2007, Provena Covenant Medical Center filed its brief in the case of Provena Covenant Medical Center v. Department of Revenue. On that same day, the following associations filed motions for leave to file briefs as amicus curiae. Click on the following associations to view these briefs (password required).
      - Provena Covenant Medical Center
      - Illinois Hospital Association
      - American Hospital Association
      - Catholic Health Association/Illinois Catholic Health Association/Illinois Catholic Conference
    14. IRS Issues Governance Guidelines for Tax-Exempt Organizations
    15. AHA Sends Report on Community Benefit to the IRS (AHA News Now)
    16. IHA Analysis of Flawed Report on Hospitals' Tax-Exempt Value and Charity Care 
      - Press Release: Report Acknowledges Hospitals Provide Community Benefits More Than Five Times Their Tax-Exempt Value
    17. Valuable Insights to Minimize Challenges on Charity and Tax Exemption
      A memo outlining best practices for hospitals presented at an IHA seminar.
    18. Five leading Hospital Associations Back Property Tax-Exemption for Illinois Hospitals
      This "friend of the court" brief was filed in the Provena tax-exemption challenge.
    19. Champaign County Board of Review Recommendation for Provena Covenant Hospital and Carle Foundation Hospital
      The Champaign County Board of Review found that the Department of Revenue should deny exempt status of the hospital property.
    20. Cook County Board of Review Decision for Resurrection Health Care
      This favorable decision on property tax appeals found that there was no evidence presented to show that the properties failed to meet the criteria for charitable exemption and outlined reasons why hospitals meet property tax exemption criteria.
    21. The Threat to Hospital Property Tax Exemption
      This document contains information on how hospitals meet the current criteria for property tax exemption. IHA’s legal staff prepared the document in 2005.
Click here to return to Charity Care main page.