The hospital shall include all of the following elements in its community benefits plan:

(a)  Mechanisms to evaluate the plan’s effectiveness including, but not limited to, a method for soliciting the views of the community served by the hospital and identification of community groups and local government officials consulted during the development of the plan.

Terms Used In California Health and Safety Code 127355

  • Community: means the service areas or patient populations for which the hospital provides health care services. See California Health and Safety Code 127345
  • Community benefits plan: means the written document prepared for annual submission to the Department of Health Care Access and Information that shall include, but shall not be limited to, a description of the activities that the hospital has undertaken in order to address identified community needs within its mission and financial capacity, and the process by which the hospital developed the plan in consultation with the community. See California Health and Safety Code 127345
  • Hospital: means a private not-for-profit acute hospital licensed under subdivision (a), (b), or (f) of Section 1250 and is owned by a corporation that has been determined to be exempt from taxation under the United States Internal Revenue Code. See California Health and Safety Code 127345
  • Vulnerable populations: means any population that is exposed to medical or financial risk by virtue of being uninsured, underinsured, or eligible for Medi-Cal, Medicare, California Children's Services Program, or county indigent programs. See California Health and Safety Code 127345

(b)  Measurable objectives to be achieved within specified timeframes.

(c)  Community benefits categorized into the following framework:

(1)  Medical care services.

(2)  Other benefits for vulnerable populations.

(3)  Other benefits for the broader community.

(4)  Health research, education, and training programs.

(5)  Nonquantifiable benefits.

(Added by Stats. 1996, Ch. 1023, Sec. 353. Effective September 29, 1996.)