title: Strategies for accurate community benefit reporting.
abstract: Steps a hospital can take to ensure it receives full credit for the community benefit it provides include: Ensuring that community benefit spending is reported as expense on the books of the organization that operates the hospital; Verifying that the ratio of net community benefit expense divided by total expense accurately depicts the organization's charitable activities; Reviewing all contracts and arrangements between the hospital and other entities to assess whether documentation supports that community benefit is being provided; Ensuring that "what counts" criteria are met.
authors.affiliation: Verite Healthcare Consulting, LLC, Washington, D.C., USA. keith.hearle@veriteconsulting.com
authors.forename: Keith
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hearle
mesh_terms: D002608:Charities; D003159:Community-Institutional Relations / Q000191:economics; D004282:Documentation / Q000592:standards*; D004469:Economics, Hospital; D006801:Humans; D019464:Tax Exemption / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*