Community Benefit Insight - Tax-exempt hospital

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Baton Rouge General Medical Center

8490 Picardy Avenue 300-b

Baton Rouge, LA 70809

EIN: 721025017

The hospital that you have selected is part of a multi-facility organization that reports community benefit expenditures in the aggregate and not by individual hospital. The data shown below are for the multi-facility organization. We encourage you to contact the individual hospital directly if you would like community benefit information on the hospital.Learn more

Individual Facility Details: Baton Rouge General

8585 Picardy Avenue
Baton Rouge, LA 70809

2 hospitals in organization:
(click a facility name to update Individual Facility Details panel)

Baton Rouge General

Baton Rouge General Medical Center Bluebonnet

Bed count	384	Medicare provider number	190065	Member of the Council of Teaching Hospitals	YES	Children's hospital	NO

Baton Rouge General Medical CenterDisplay data for year:

Community Benefit Spending- 2021
(as % of functional expenses, which all tax-exempt organizations report on Form 990 Schedule H)

4.91%

Spending by Community Benefit Category- 2021
(as % of total functional expenses)

* = CBI denoted preventative categories

Community Benefit Spending Compared to Functional Expenses, 2010-2021

Additional data

Community Benefit Expenditures: 2021

All tax-exempt organizations file a Form 990 with the IRS for every tax year. If the tax-exempt organization operates one or more hospital facilities during the tax year, the organization must attach a Schedule H to Form 990. On Part I of Schedule H, the organization records the expenditures it made during the tax year for various types of community benefits; 9 types are shown on this web tool. By default, this web tool presents community benefit expenditures as a percentage of the organization’s functional expenses, which it reports on Form 990, Part IX, Line 25, Column A. (The more commonly heard term, ‘total operating expenses’, which organizations report to CMS, is generally about 90% of the ‘functional expenses’). The user may change the default to see the dollar expenditures.
Amount spent in the following IRS community benefit categories:

Financial Assistance at cost as % of operating expenses	$ 6,771,891 1.22 %
Medicaid as % of operating expenses	$ 0 0 %
Costs of other means-tested government programs as % of operating expenses	$ 0 0 %
Health professions education as % of operating expenses	$ 4,323,328 0.78 %
Subsidized health services as % of operating expenses	$ 15,879,400 2.86 %
Research as % of operating expenses	$ 261,085 0.05 %
Community health improvement services and community benefit operations* as % of operating expenses Note: these two community benefit categories are reported together on the Schedule H, part I, line 7e.	$ 0 0 %
Cash and in-kind contributions for community benefit* as % of operating expenses	$ 0 0 %
Community building* as % of operating expenses	$ 0 0 %

* = CBI denoted preventative categories

Community building activities details:

Did tax-exempt hospital report community building activities?	Not available
Number of activities or programs (optional)	0
Physical improvements and housing	0
Economic development	0
Community support	0
Environmental improvements	0
Leadership development and training for community members	0
Coalition building	0
Community health improvement advocacy	0
Workforce development	0
Other	0
Persons served (optional)	0
Physical improvements and housing	0
Economic development	0
Community support	0
Environmental improvements	0
Leadership development and training for community members	0
Coalition building	0
Community health improvement advocacy	0
Workforce development	0
Other	0
Community building expense as % of operating expenses	$ 0 0 %
Physical improvements and housing as % of community building expenses	$ 0
Economic development as % of community building expenses	$ 0
Community support as % of community building expenses	$ 0
Environmental improvements as % of community building expenses	$ 0
Leadership development and training for community members as % of community building expenses	$ 0
Coalition building as % of community building expenses	$ 0
Community health improvement advocacy as % of community building expenses	$ 0
Workforce development as % of community building expenses	$ 0
Other as % of community building expenses	$ 0
Direct offsetting revenue	$ 0
Physical improvements and housing	$ 0
Economic development	$ 0
Community support	$ 0
Environmental improvements	$ 0
Leadership development and training for community members	$ 0
Coalition building	$ 0
Community health improvement advocacy	$ 0
Workforce development	$ 0
Other	$ 0

Other Useful Tax-exempt Hospital Information: 2021

In addition to community benefit and community building expenditures, the Schedule H worksheet includes sections on what percentage of bad debt can be attributable to patients eligible for financial assistance, and questions on the tax-exempt hospital's debt collection policy. When searching a specific tax-exempt hospital in this web tool, Section II provides information about bad debt and the financial assistance policy, and whether the state in which the tax-exempt hospital resides has expanded Medicaid coverage under the federal ACA.

Of the tax-exempt hospital’s overall operating expenses, amount reported as bad debt as % of operating expenses	$ 31,113,196 5.61 %
Is the tax-exempt hospital considered a "sole community hospital" under the Medicare program?	NO

Information about the tax-exempt hospital's Financial Assistance Policy and Debt Collection Policy
The Financial Assistance Policy section of Schedule H has changed over the years. The questions listed below reflect the questions on the 2009-2011 Schedule H forms and the answers tax-exempt hospitals provided for those years. The Financial Assistance Policy requirements were changed under the ACA. In the future, as the Community Benefit Insight web site is populated with 2021 data and subsequent years, the web tool will also be updated to reflect the new wording and requirements. In the meantime, if you have any questions about this section, we encourage you to contact your tax-exempt hospital directly.

Does the organization have a written financial assistance (charity care) policy?	YES
Did the tax-exempt hospital rely upon Federal Poverty Guidelines (FPG) to determine when to provide free or discounted care for patients?	YES
Amount of the tax-exempt hospital’s bad debt (at cost) attributed to patients eligible under the organization’s financial assistance (charity care) policy as % of operating expenses	$ 0 0 %

Did the tax-exempt hospital, or an authorized third party, take any of the following collection activities before determining whether the patient was eligible for financial assistance:
Under the ACA, states have the choice to expand Medicaid eligibility for their residents up to 138% of the federal poverty guidelines. The Medicaid expansion provision of the ACA did not go into effect until January 2014, so data in this web tool will not reflect each state's current Medicaid eligibility threshold. For up to date information, please visit the Terms and Glossary under the Resources tab.
The federal poverty guidelines (FPG) are set by the government and used to determine eligibility for many federal financial assistance programs. Tax-exempt hospitals often use FPG guidelines in their Financial Assistance policies to determine which patients will qualify for free or discounted care.
In addition to the federal requirements, some states have laws stipulating community benefit requirements as a result of tax-exemption. The laws vary from state to state and may require the tax-exempt hospitals to submit community benefit reports. Data on this web tool captures whether or not a state had a mandatory community benefit reporting law as of 2011. For more information, please see Community Benefit State Law Profiles Comparison at The Hilltop Institute.

Community Health Needs Assessment Activities: 2021

The ACA requires all 501(c)(3) tax-exempt hospitals to conduct a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) every three years, starting with the hospital's tax year beginning after March 23, 2012. The 2011 Schedule H included an optional section of questions on the CHNA process. This web tool includes responses for those hospitals voluntary reporting this information. The web tool will be updated to reflect changes in these questions on the 2012 and subsequent Schedule H forms.

Did the tax-exempt hospital report that they had conducted a CHNA?	YES
Did the CHNA define the community served by the tax-exempt hospital?	YES
Did the CHNA consider input from individuals that represent the broad interests of the community served by the tax-exempt hospital?	YES
Did the tax-exempt hospital make the CHNA widely available (i.e. post online)?	YES
Did the tax-exempt hospital adopt an implementation strategy to address the community needs identified by the CHNA?	YES

Supplemental Information: 2021

This section presents qualitative information submitted by the hospital, verbatim from the 990H record.

Statement of Program Service Accomplishments
Description of the organization's program service accomplishments for each of its three largest program services, as measured by expenses. Section 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) organizations are required to report the amount of grants and allocations to others, the total expenses, and revenue, if any, for each program service reported.

4A (Expenses $ 381119685 including grants of $ 1848694) (Revenue $ 376831797)
BATON ROUGE GENERAL (BRG) PROVIDES QUALITY HEALTHCARE REGARDLESS OF RACE, CREED, SEX, NATIONAL ORIGIN, AGE OR ABILITY TO PAY. ALTHOUGH REIMBURSEMENT FOR SERVICES IS CRITICAL TO THE OPERATIONS AND STABILITY OF BRG, IT IS RECOGNIZED THAT NOT ALL INDIVIDUALS HAVE THE ABILITY TO PAY FOR ESSENTIAL MEDICAL SERVICES. IN KEEPING WITH BRG'S COMMITMENT TO SERVING THE COMMUNITY, BRG PROVIDED $5,519,970 OF FREE AND/OR SUBSIDIZED CARE, $352,786,015 OF CARE CHARGE-OFFS PROVIDED TO PERSONS COVERED BY GOVERNMENTAL PROGRAMS AT BELOW COST AS WELL AS HEALTH ACTIVITIES AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS. DURING FY 2022, BRG RECORDED 17,614 ADMITS, 1,665,002 OUTPATIENT CASES/PROCEDURES/LAB TESTS, 97,187 PATIENT DAYS, 72,645 EMERGENCY ROOM VISITS, DISPENSED 1,500,000 PHARMACY UNIT DOSES AND 12,865 INPATIENT/OUTPATIENT SURGERIES.

4B (Expenses $ 44832899 including grants of $ 0) (Revenue $ 92456466)
BRG OFFERS A FULL RANGE OF INPATIENT AND OUTPATIENT SURGICAL SERVICES TO THE GREATER BATON ROUGE AREA INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, GENERAL, ORTHOPEDIC, CARDIOVASCULAR, AND NEUROSURGERIES. BRG IS HOME TO THE AREA'S FINEST GENERAL AND ORTHOPEDIC SPECIALISTS AND OFFERS THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY AND CLINICALLY COMPETENT SUPPORT STAFF IN THE AREA. BRG COMPLETED 12,865 SURGERIES DURING THE FISCAL YEAR.

4C (Expenses $ 49002812 including grants of $ 0) (Revenue $ 84819802)
THE BRG INPATIENT/OUTPATIENT PHARMACIES PROVIDE OUR PATIENTS WITH THE MOST CURRENT AND EFFECTIVE PHARMACEUTICALS ON THE MARKET. PHARMACY IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF PATIENT THERAPY AND RECOVERY. DURING THE YEAR, THE INPATIENT/OUTPATIENT PHARMACIES DISPENSED 1,500,000 UNIT DOSES.

Facility Information

Schedule H (Form 990) Section C. Supplemental Information for Part V, Section B.

PART V, SECTION B, LINE 4:
THE ORGANIZATION CONDUCTED ITS THIRD COMPREHENSIVE COMMUNITY HEALTH NEEDS ASSESSMENT (CHNA) IN FISCAL YEAR 2021 TO COVER THE PERIOD 2021-2023 (TAX YEARS 2020-2022).

PART V, SECTION B, LINE 3:
THE BATON ROUGE GENERAL MEDICAL CENTER (BRGMC) SERVES THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY THROUGH ITS COMMITMENT TO EXCEPTIONAL PATIENT CARE, MEDICAL EDUCATION AND RESEARCH. IN ORDER TO IDENTIFY THE HEALTH AND WELLNESS NEEDS OF THE GREATER BATON ROUGE AREA, BRGMC PARTICIPATED IN THE MAYOR'S HEALTHY CITY INITIATIVE TO ENCOURAGE BATON ROUGE AREA RESIDENTS TO ADOPT A HEALTHIER AND MORE ACTIVE LIFESTYLE. PARTICIPATING IN THE INITIATIVE INCLUDED, BUT WERE NOT LIMITED TO, BRGMC, THE OFFICE OF MAYOR-PRESIDENT SHARON WESTON BROOME, BLUE CROSS/BLUE SHIELD OF LOUISIANA, OUR LADY OF THE LAKE MEDICAL CENTER, WOMAN'S HOSPITAL OF BATON ROUGE, LANE REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER, OFFICE OF US SENATOR BILL CASSIDY, EBR PARISH PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM, LSU HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER LA. PRIMARY CARE ASSOCIATION, SURGICAL SPECIALTY CENTER OF BATON ROUGE, THE BATON ROUGE CLINIC, LSU PENNINGTON BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH CENTER AMONG A GROUP OF 25 MAJOR COMMUNITY GROUPS IN THE AREA. THE MAYOR'S HEALTHY CITY INITIATIVE IS COMPOSED OF 3 SEPARATE BUT COMPATIBLE ADVISORY BOARDS TARGETING HEALTH PRIORITIES THROUGHOUT EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH AND SURROUNDING AREAS. THOSE BOARDS ARE: HEALTHY BR THAT FOCUSES ON HEALTHY EATING, MED BR THAT FOCUSES ON ACCESS TO CARE, AND THE HEALTH INNOVATION CENTER THAT FOCUSES ON EVALUATION AND EFFECTIVE USE OF RESOURCES FROM AN ACADEMIC PERSPECTIVE. COORDINATION AMONG THE VARIOUS PARTICIPANTS SERVED TO COORDINATE THE ASSESSMENT AND AVOID DUPLICATE EFFORTS TO INCREASE THE VALUE OF WHAT WE COLLECTIVELY BRING TO THE COMMUNITY HEALTHCARE NEEDS.

PART V, SECTION B, LINE 6A:
IN ADDITION TO BRGMC'S PARTICIPATION IN THE 2018 & 2021 CHNA, OTHER AREA HOSPITAL PARTICIPANTS INCLUDED LANE REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER, OCHSNER HEALTH SYSTEM-BATON ROUGE, OUR LADY OF THE LAKE REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER, WOMAN'S HOSPITAL, SURGICAL SPECIALTY CENTER OF BATON ROUGE, LSU PENNINGTON BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH CENTER AND THE LOUISIANA HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION.

Supplemental Information

Schedule H (Form 990) Part VI

PART I, LINE 3C:
CHARITY CARE ELIGIBILITY IS BASED ON MANY FACTORS RELATED TO INDIVIDUAL PATIENT CIRCUMSTANCES. EACH AND EVERY PATIENT IS SCREENED BY PATIENT FINANCIAL SERVICES PERSONNEL, LICENSED SOCIAL WORKERS AND OTHER HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS TO DETERMINE IF ELIGIBLE FOR STATE AND/OR FEDERAL HEALTHCARE ASSISTANCE. SAID ASSISTANCE AS WELL AS ELIGIBILITY FOR BRGMC CHARITY CARE IS ASSESSED WITH THE PATIENT OR THEIR DESIGNATED FAMILY MEMBER OR REPRESENTATIVE. OF PRIMARY IMPORTANCE IS THE HEALTH, RECUPERATION AND WELL-BEING OF OUR PATIENTS.

PART I, LINE 7:
THE COST-TO-CHARGE RATIO USED IN THE VARIOUS LINE 7 WORKSHEETS IS DERIVED FROM THE TAXPAYER'S 2022 MEDICARE COST REPORT AS FILED WITH THE CENTER FOR MEDICARE AND MEDICAID SERVICES. IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LINE 7 INSTRUCTIONS, TOTAL EXPENSES USED TO CALCULATE THE COLUMN F PERCENTAGES DO NOT INCLUDE BAD DEBTS EXPENSE.

PART III, LINE 2:
THE BAD DEBT ESTIMATE IS BASED ON PERIODIC, ONGOING REVIEWS THAT THE TAXPAYER ROUTINELY CONDUCTS TO REVIEW AND DETERMINE THE REASONABLENESS OF ITS COLLECTIONS STATISTICS UTILIZED IN THE CALCULATION OF ITS BAD DEBT EXPENSE.

PART III, LINE 4:
THE BAD DEBT FOOTNOTE CAN BE FOUND ON PAGE 19 OF THE AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS ATTACHED HERETO. IN MARCH 2015, THE MID-CITY CAMPUS CLOSED ITS EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT DUE TO MATERIAL, CONTINUING FINACIAL LOSSES. SAID MID-CITY CAMPUS HAS SERVED A SIGNIFICANT UNDER-INSURED/UNINSURED POPULATION FOR MANY YEARS. ALSO SEE SCHEDULE O FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING THE RE-OPENING OF THE MID CITY CAMPUS EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT IN JUNE 2020.

PART III, LINE 9B:
THE TAXPAYER'S COLLECTION PROCESS POLICY STATES THAT IF A PATIENT CANNOT PAY ANY REMAINING PATIENT ACCOUNT BALANCES IN FULL, THE COLLECTOR IS TO UTILIZE THE PAYMENT ARRANGEMENT GUIDELINES IN OUR CHARITY CARE POLICY TO APPLY FOR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE. APPROVAL FOR ASSISTANCE WILL BE BASED ON INCOME, ABILITY TO PAY AND ACCOUNT BALANCE, AMONG OTHER FACTORS. NO AMOUNT OF THE ORGANIZATION'S BAD DEBT EXPENSE IS ATTRIBUTABLE TO PATIENTS ELIGIBLE FOR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE. THE ORGANIZATION PERFORMS ANNUAL REVIEWS OF ITS COLLECTION HISTORIES TO DETERMINE THE ACCURACY OF ITS ESTIMATIONS OF BAD DEBT ALLOWANCE AMOUNTS. THE TAXPAYER'S FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE POLICY, FAP APPLICATION AND PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY CAN BE FOUND AT: WWW.BRGENERAL.ORG/PATIENTS-VISITORS/BILLING-INSURANCE/FINANCIAL-ASSISTANCE/.

PART VI, LINE 4:
BRGMC IS THE ONLY COMMUNITY-OWNED, NON-PROFIT HOSPITAL LOCATED IN THE BATON ROUGE AREA. IT CONSISTS OF 3 HOSPITAL CAMPUSES, MID CITY, BLUEBONNET, AND ASCENSION. MID CITY SERVES THE DOWNTOWN AND SURROUNDING URBAN AREAS OF BATON ROUGE AS WELL AS THE SURROUNDING WEST BATON ROUGE, IBERVILLE, THE FELICIANAS, ST HELENA AND POINTE COUPEE PARISH AREAS. THE BLUEBONNET CAMPUS SERVES THE SOUTHERN AREA OF BATON ROUGE, AS WELL AS THE SURROUNDING ASCENSION, LIVINGSTON AND TANGIPAHOA PARISH AREAS WHICH HAVE SEEN ENORMOUS GROWTH IN POPULATION OVER THE LAST 30 YEARS. THE ASCENSION CAMPUS SEERVES THE RAPIDLY GROWING ASCENSION PARISH AREA AND THOSE AREAS SOUTH OF ASCENSION PARISH WHICH HAVE BEEN HISTORICALLY UNDER-SERVED.

PART VI, LINE 6:
"BRGMC IS AN IRC SEC. 501(C)(3) ORGANIZATION, OWNED BY ITS COMMUNITY-OWNED 501(C)(3) PARENT COMPANY, GENERAL HEALTH SYSTEM (GHS) #72-0475545. THE GHS BOARD OF DIRECTORS ALSO SERVE AS THE BOARD FOR BRGMC. THE BOARD CONSISTS OF VARIOUS COMMUNITY LEADERS FROM THE BUSINESS, GOVERNMENTAL, PHILANTHROPIC AND MEDICAL COMMUNITIES IN THE BATON ROUGE AREA, SERVE WITHOUT COMPENSATION AND PROVIDE A VERY BROAD BASE OF KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE TO THE GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT OF BRGMC. MEDICAL STAFF PRIVILEGES ARE EXTENDED TO ALL QUALIFIED PHYSICIANS IN THE GREATER BATON ROUGE AREA WHO WISH TO PROVIDE THEIR PATIENTS WITH THE FINEST CARE AND MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY AT THEIR DISPOSAL. IN FURTHERANCE OF ITS COMMITMENT TO PROVIDE THE BEST MEDICAL EDUCATION IN BATON ROUGE, BRGMC ENTERED INTO AN AFFLIATION AGREEMENT WITH TULANE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE TO CREATE A SATELLITE TRAINING CAMPUS FOR ITS MEDICAL STUDENTS. IN MAY 2022, 28 SELECTED STUDENTS (IN MAY 2021, 28 STUDENTS) BEGAN THE PROGRAM DURING WHICH THEY WILL SPEND THEIR 3RD AND 4TH YEAR CLINICAL ROTATIONS AT THE MID CITY CAMPUS. THE BRG PHYSICIANS WILL BE SERVING AS THE STUDENT'S TEACHERS AND MENTORS. THE PROGRAM TITLED ""LEAD (LEADERSHIP, EDUCATION, ADVOCACY AND DISCOVERY) ACADEMY"" SIGNIFIES THE FIRST TIME TULANE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE HAS OPENED A TRAINING FACILITY OUTSIDE OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA."