(Spencer)– A recently completed assessment by the Iowa Hospital Association shows Spencer Hospital provided more than $6 million in community benefit support in 2010.
Of that, $877,000 was in uncompensated care and $5.17 million was in free or discounted community services.
Community benefits are activities designed to improve the health status of local citizens and increase access to health care services. Along with uncompensated care, which includes both charity care and uncollectible accounts, community benefits include services such as health screenings, support groups, counseling, immunizations, nutritional services and transportation programs.
It also includes community health education programs, healthcare professional training programs, economic development activities, contributions to various community events and in-kind contributions toward public health initiatives.
Officials say a significant portion of the hospital’s community benefit investment is for the unreimbursed cost of providing care to patients covered by government insurance programs.
The results for Spencer Hospital are included in a statewide report that shows Iowa hospitals provided community benefits in 2010 valued at more than $1.3 billion.
All 118 of the state’s hospitals participated in the survey.
