title: Faith community nursing demonstrates good stewardship of community benefit dollars through cost savings and cost avoidance.
abstract: Health systems seeking responsible stewardship of community benefit dollars supporting Faith Community Nursing Networks require demonstration of positive measurable health outcomes. Faith Community Nurses (FCNs) answer the call for measurable outcomes by documenting cost savings and cost avoidances to families, communities, and health systems associated with their interventions. Using a spreadsheet tool based on Medicare reimbursements and diagnostic-related groupings, 3 networks of FCNs have together shown more than 600 000 (for calendar year 2008) healthcare dollars saved by avoidance of unnecessary acute care visits and extended care placements. The cost-benefit ratio of support dollars to cost savings and cost avoidance demonstrates that support of FCNs is good stewardship of community benefit dollars.
authors.affiliation: Henry Ford Macomb Hospitals, Clinton Township, Michigan 48038, USA. browna@hfhs.org
authors.forename: Ameldia R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Coppola
authors.forename: Marian
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Giacona
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Petriches
authors.forename: Mary Ann
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Stockwell
mesh_terms: D003152:Community Health Nursing / Q000191:economics* / Q000379:methods; D019058:Community Networks / Q000191:economics*; D017046:Cost Savings; D005102:Health Expenditures; D006801:Humans; D012068:Religion and Medicine; D014481:United States; D014838:Volunteers