PART VI - SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
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Question 1: Part I, Line 3c: This hospital is an affiliated entity of Northwell Health Inc. ("Northwell"). Northwell uses FPG to determine eligibility and utilizes the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) guidelines regarding the consideration of assets. Asset tests cannot be used to deny financial assistance, but only to "upgrade" a patient's level of obligation, up to the legal maximum permitted under the financial assistance law. Part I, Line 6a: The Community Benefit report is prepared by the hospital, in conjunction with an affiliated entity (Northwell) of the hospital. The Community Benefit Report is accessible to the public and can be accessed on the Northwell website: http://www.northwell.com. Part I, 7: Row (a) The cost of charity care was determined by utilizing the ratio of cost to charges (RCC) calculated on Worksheet 2 applied to gross charges written off for patients qualifying for charity under the hospitals financial assistance policy. Bad Debt was not reported in any row of Part I, Line 7. Row (b) The Ratio of Cost to Charges method (or RCC) is used to determine the cost of ancillary services. A RCC is developed from these costs, and that RCC is applied to total Medicaid gross ancillary services charges to determine the cost of services provided to Medicaid patients. Row (e) Costs associated with Community Health Improvement Services were determined by adding indirect or overhead costs to the direct costs of the activity. Indirect costs were calculated as a percentage of direct costs. Direct costs for staff expenses were calculated using average system hourly rates, and were adjusted to account for fringe benefits, using a blended rate based on the ratio of total employee benefit expenses to total salary and wages. Row (f) The Bad Debt Expense that appears on Form 990, Part IX, Line 25 column (A), but not included for purposes of calculating the percentage in this column is equal to the amount reported on Form 990, Part X. The costs related to health professions education were determined by utilizing the step down method of cost finding. Row (h) Costs associated with research activities were determined by adding indirect, or overhead, costs to the direct costs of the activity. Indirect costs were calculated as a percentage of costs. Row (i) The cost of in-kind contributions to community groups is comprised of the direct costs of personnel whose compensated time was donated to various charities and community groups. The salaries and wages were adjusted to include benefits using a rate based on the ratio of total employee benefit expenses to total salary and wages. Indirect costs were calculated as a percentage of direct costs. Column (f) for Rows (c)-(k) The percentage of Net Community Benefit Expense divided by Total Expense for the hospital (to calculate the percent of total expense). Note: For the entire Northwell Health Inc. and affiliates, Part I, Line 7 (Row K, Column F) is approximately 11.29 as a percentage of expenses. Part II: All community building activities improve access to health services and address federal, state, or local public health priorities, as well as leverage public health department activities, and in doing so, they provide relief of government burden. These activities broadly serve low-income, underserved patients, and include: collaboration with various community coalitions, system-wide recycling initiative, organizational response to worldly disasters, and bioterrorism efforts. Northwells bioterrorism & disaster preparedness includes Center for Emergency Medical Services, has a designated Bioterrorism Resource Center, and has conducted staff training for more than 100 hospitals and area first responders and invested heavily in the infrastructure needed for large-scale emergencies. During catastrophes (both natural and terrorism), Northwell provides a safe haven for thousands of patients, outside nursing home residents, and community members seeking shelter. Northwell assists with the transport of patients and stand ready to contribute food, medicine, and blankets for both affiliated and non-affiliated hospital patients. Investment in a field hospital has furthered the public health infrastructure needed for mass casualties that could result from a terrorist attack, natural attack, or large-scale emergency. Part III, Line 2: For patients who were determined by Northwell to have the ability to pay but did not, the uncollected amounts are recorded as bad debt expense. The amount of gross charges written off is reduced by any charity care or other discounts provided to the patient, as well as any payments received. Bad debt expense reported on this line is reported net of governmental or private offsetting funds. Part III, Line 3: N/A Part III, Line 4: For patients who were determined by Northwell to have the ability to pay but did not, the uncollected amounts are recorded as bad debt expense. Part III, Line 8: Medicare costs are determined utilizing a combination of the step down method of cost findings and a cost per unit of service. Cost per unit of service is used to calculate the routine cost of services provided to Medicare patients. The Ratio of Cost to Charges method (or RCC) is used to determine the cost of ancillary services. An RCC is developed from these costs, and that RCC is applied to total Medicare gross ancillary services charges to determine the cost of services provided to Medicare patients. Part III, Line 9b: The organizations collection policy is standard to all accounts regardless of insurance status (e.g. insured, underinsured, and uninsured). The hospitals collection policy states that they will not send patient accounts to collection if a decision on a financial assistance application is pending, or if a patient is determined to be eligible for Medicaid at the time services were rendered and for which services Medicaid payment is available. Question 2: NEEDS ASSESSMENT: The Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) is performed on an ongoing basis. Northwell conducts and participates in population, demographic, and health status evaluations of our respective hospitals service areas based on county regions and the communities we serve. There is a special effort to include individuals with health disparities and organizations who serve these communities in the CHNA process. The CHNA includes the analysis of primary and secondary data. Multi-year analyses, trends and projections are developed, which identify areas of need for the continuum of health care services. Primary data is obtained through a combination of qualitative analysis of community-based organization (CBO), informant interviews and surveys, individual community member surveys, and participation in collaborative partner meetings. These meetings include representatives from the Departments of Health, CBOs, academic institutions, government agencies, and hospitals. Ongoing input concerning our communities needs is also obtained through: our Board of Trustees/Directors who are all area residents and leaders in their respective communities; facility based advisory boards and councils, and; the feedback received by our facility administrators and clinicians that serve on local community agency boards. Secondary data analysis includes: internal hospital data, including Prevention Quality Indicators (PQI); Department of Health Community Health Assessments; local regional NYS Prevention Agenda data sources; and Statewide Planning and Research System (SPARCS) data. The Committee on Community Health, a committee of the Board of Trustees, provides recommendations that concern Northwells community health priorities and interventions based on the CHNA. Committee discussions focus on New York State (NYS) Prevention Agenda Priority Areas, including strategies and intervention outcomes related to chronic disease prevention, women and childrens health, healthy safe environments, health access, mental health and substance abuse, HIV/AIDS/STDs and community immunizations. Regional departments of health (I.E. Nassau County Department of Health, Suffolk County Department of Health Services, and NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene) perform additional community health assessments (CHA) with the input of hospital and community stakeholders. These regional partners use strategies such as community member surveys, CBO surveys, and public listening sessions to solicit information on community needs. Together with other healthcare organizations and CBOs, Northwell participates in meetings organized by these regional departments of health academic organizations to discuss the shared responsibility of public health planning within the NYS Prevention Agenda. These meetings provide an opportunity for general discussion regarding the public health goals of the NYS Prevention Agenda and the selection of shared priorities for collaborative regional planning. The partnership among local health departments, hospitals and CB
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