By Lisette Hudson and Valerie Hayes

Mission statements for most hospitals include improving community health by offering patient care and services to area residents. But what about community health in a broader sense? Are hospitals and health systems providing the services and programs their patient population needs?

To document efforts toward improving community health, under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), not-for-profit 501(c)(3) hospitals are required to conduct a Community Health Needs

Assessment (CHNA) and create an implementation plan once every three years.

Download the full article from Spectrum, July/August 2017, by the Society for Healthcare Strategy & Market Development.