Counting community benefits. CHA survey reveals members' commitment to providing care for the poor and other community services. Catholic Health Association.

In its 1990 National Community Benefits Survey, the Catholic Health Association (CHA) found that in recent years Catholic hospitals increased the amount of uncompensated care they provided, despite growing fiscal constraints. CHA also found that, in the two years since it introduced the Social Accountability Budget, 60 percent of Catholic healthcare facilities have used either CHA's process or a similar structured approach to reinforce, measure, and plan their contributions to the community. Of the hospitals that responded to the survey, 91 percent provided nonbilled services targeted to low-income populations in 1989, more than 75 percent provided free or discounted services to other populations with special needs, and about 82 percent made free or discounted services available to the broader community. In addition, the majority of Catholic facilities can now more accurately report the dollar value of the uncompensated care they provide. In Illinois 31 of the state's 52 Catholic hospitals were able to quantify the value of the benefits they provide to the poor and the broader community. Moreover, facilities and systems throughout the nation are intensifying their efforts to plan and coordinate programs to meet community needs and the needs of the poor.