4A (Expenses $ 66317837 including grants of $ 50650) (Revenue $ 35419993)
Adventist Health Tulare (AHTR) provides quality medical health care regardless of race, creed, sex, national origin, handicap, age, or ability to pay.Although reimbursement for services rendered is critical to the operation and stability Adventist Health Tulare, the organization recognizes that not all individuals possess the ability to pay for essential medical services.Adventist Healths vision is to enhance the health of the communities where we live and serve, by engaging our communities and our patients in a new definition of and partnership for personal community health. In keeping with this commitment to serve all members of the community, the following will be considered when individuals who need health care cannot pay:providing free care and/or subsidized careproviding care to persons covered by governmental programs at below costproviding health/wellness activities and community education programsNot only does Adventist Health Tulare low cost care to individuals covered by government-programs and those unable to afford healthcare, it also helps patients find and access private and governmental resources for healthcare benefits.AHTR recognizes below-cost reimbursement as charity and uncompensated care in meeting its mission to the entire community. The unreimbursed cost of providing care to these patients in 2021 was $22,636,835.The following Inpatient services that were provided to all our patients. These services included:395 Surgeries performed9,288 Patient days The following Outpatient services that were provided to all our patients. These services included:26,563 Emergency department visits1,871 Outpatient Surgeries performed13,645 Outpatient VisitsAHTR recognizes it has an obligation to provide human services above and beyond its role as a healing facility. The following community benefits demonstrate the tangible ways in which the organization is fulfilling its mission. The total unreimbursed cost of these community benefits in 2021 was $1,873,045.Adventist Healths mission statement of Living Gods love by inspiring health, wholeness and hope is coupled with a vision to transform the health experience of our communities through collaborative programs, community investments and community outreach. We are inspired by the healing ministry as represented by the life of Jesus Christ and believe we are called to live out our mission intentionally in the communities we serve. In the small towns, suburbs and inner cities we serve, we continue our journey to provide quality healthcare until every person made in Gods image has experienced the best health today, hope for tomorrow, and Gods love that endures forever.Website for our community benefit information: https://www.adventisthealth.org/about-us/community-benefit/

Facility: - Part V, Section B, Line 5
"The 2019 CHNA data collection process can be summarized as follows: 1. review of prior CHNA reporting efforts; 2. collection of most recently available demographic, socioeconomic and health indicator data; 3. Data gathering from community members. Primary data was collected through key informant interviews, focus groups, and an online survey. Key informants and focus groups were purposefully chosen to represent medically under-served, low-income, or minority populations in our community. Their input provided insights on how to better direct our resources and form partnerships. Nearly 700 (680 total) people were surveyed to obtain input from the community in the form of 48 key informant interviews, 24 focus groups (with a total of 284 participants), and 348 online survey participants (including a Spanish option).Community Survey: The online survey was distributed to partner organizations that were not represented by key informants and advertised to the general public via a public service announcement hosted on Univision's Arriba Valle Central"" show. Additional written comments on the previous CHNA were solicited on each hospital's website using a unique link. To date no written comments were received. Community Focus Groups: Focus group participants were end-users of programs and services provided by hospitals participating in this CHNA. Populations represented by focus group members included low-income (rural and urban) populations, homeless, seniors, youth, Hmong and Spanish speaking, LGBTQ+, and parents.Key Informant Interviews: Key informant interviews comprised key leaders in our community from an array of agencies, including those that serve children, homeless populations, LGBTQ+, veterans, seniors, tribal populations, African Americans, and Hmong and Spanish speaking populations. Other participating organizations represented public health agencies, law enforcement, health care organizations, funders, and school districts. Secondary data sources include publicly reported state and nationally recognized data sources such as Community Commons, California Department of Public Health, County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, and California Environmental Protection Agencys Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. When feasible, health metrics have been further compared to averages for state or national benchmarks, such as Healthy People 2020 objectives."

Facility: - Part V, Section B, Line 6a
Beginning in 2011, the Hospital Council of Northern and Central California initiated a four-county (Fresno, Kings, Madera, and Tulare) community health needs assessment (CHNA) process, working collaboratively with 15 hospitals across the Central Valley region. Participating hospitals are: Adventist Health Hanford, Adventist Health Reedley, Adventist Health Selma, Clovis Community Medical Center, Coalinga Regional Medical Center (Closed), Community Regional Medical Center (includes Community Behavioral Health Center), Kaiser Permanente: Fresno Service Area, Kaweah Delta Health Care District, Madera Community Hospital, San Joaquin Valley Rehabilitation Hospital, Sierra View Medical Center, Saint Agnes Medical Center, Tulare Regional Medical Center (Adventist Health oversees the operations of the hospital. Doors opened to the public October 15, 2018.), Valley Childrens Healthcare.

Facility: - Part V, Section B, Line 11
The COVID-19 global pandemic has caused extraordinary challenges for Adventist Health hospitals and health care systems across the world including keeping front line workers safe, shortages of protective equipment, limited ICU bed space and developing testing protocols. They have also focused on helping patients and families deal with the isolation needed to stop the spread of the virus, and more recently vaccine roll out efforts. Adventist Health, like other health care systems, had to pivot its focus to meet the most urgent healthcare needs of its community during the pandemic, as well as reassess the ability to continue with some community health strategies due public health guidelines for social distancing. Adjustments have been made to continue community health improvement efforts as possible, while ensuring the health and safety of those participating. Our 2019 CHNA identified five areas of significant need: Access to Care, Obesity/ Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL)/ Diabetes, Mental Health, Economic Security/Homelessness, Maternal & Infant Health. Our overall goal is to improve the health and wellness of our communities through provision of services, community collaboration and innovation. Priority Need 1- Access to Care- The goal is to improve the overall health and wellness of our communities through provisions of services, community collaboration and innovation. Strategy 1- Improving access to care through increased health awareness and access to needed services. Activity 1.1- Transportation to clinic appointments. Due to COVID-19, in person clinic appointments decreased significantly, as did the requirement for transportation. Telehealth visits greatly increased which allowed patients the opportunity to receive care in the comfort of their own home to protect their safety and well-being. This increased our access to care efforts and allowed our providers the ability to reach patients throughout our network. Telehealth visits continued throughout 2021 and are expected to become a permanent access to care option for our patients into the future. Adventist Health Tulare has yet to secure a transportation vendor. Due to COVID-19 and transportation restrictions the local foundation was not able to distribute passes in 2021. Activity 1.2- Provider Recruitment- Due to the nature of our network, providers were added under Hanford/Selma and Reedley license. Additional Activities included the Central Valley Networks Mobile Medical Unit, Pop-up Clinics, and Education Outreach. Due to COVID-19 all programs were postponed and limited for 2021. Priority Need 2- Obesity/ Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL)/Diabetes- The goal is to create healthy communities through expansion of preventative programs and chronic disease support. Strategy 1- Through a focus on educational activities, work to empower communities to understand the importance of healthy eating and exercise to live a healthier life. Activity 1.1- Diabetes self-management classes. These classes consist of a five-week diabetes self-management education (DSME) curriculum that is available in English and Spanish from Scripps Whittier Diabetes Institute. This program is approved as a (DSME) Program by the American Diabetes Association and covers all diabetes self-management topics including understanding blood sugars, nutrition, physical activity, medication management, stress management, foot care, ongoing screening tests and exams, etc. Due to staffing shortages and COVID-19, all (DSME) classes we placed on hold indefinitely. Additional Activities included educational sessions and outreach events through partnerships with local community organizations. Due to COVID-19 all outreach and education events planned for 2021 are currently on hold. Priority Need 3- Mental Health- The goal is to increase access to behavioral health services for vulnerable populations. Strategy 1- to enhance provider and community partners knowledge of factors influencing behavioral health to support referrals to appropriate behavioral health resources. Activity 1.1- Provide mental health education to external Adventist Health partner organizations and community members. Due to COVID-19, all events planned for 2021 have been postponed indefinitely. It is our intention to restart education events in 2022. Priority Need 4- Economic Security/ Homelessness- The goal is to address social needs and social determinants of health, to allow for a healthy foundation for communities to build a healthy life. Strategy 1- Partner with county and local programs to have a greater impact on creating access to shelter and housing. Activity 1.1- Recuperative Board and Care (Lighthouse Rescue Mission)- Lighthouse Rescue Mission is a 90-day program geared to help out homeless or inadequate housed patients. Patients who are homeless and have substance abuse or mental health issues receive wrap-around care while they heal. Due to Project Room Key, implemented by California to address COVID risk in the homeless population, most homeless individuals found temporary housing in local hotels. Therefore, there were fewer homeless hospital admissions requiring a recuperative room and board program. Number of homeless members accepting discharge to the recuperative board and care program: 5. Additional Activities included student externships & internships and Inspire Hope resource distributions. Student internships and externships opportunities continued within our network and a total of 618 students were able to complete their academic requirements and provide much needed support within departments across our network. Through our partnership with World Vision, our Inspire Hope program continued to provide distribution as the need in our communities continued and increased due to the pandemic. Additionally, the homeless discharge planning process, as required by SB 1152, ensures that all homeless patients who come to the hospital for care are provided with and connected to any and all needed resources, the total number of persons served included 71 individuals.Priority Need 5- Maternal and Infant Health- The goal is to increase overall health and wellness. Strategy 1- Provide educational materials and host educational sessions. Activity 1.1- Provide free car safety seat checks to the community. Although program participation was reduced or limited due to COVID-19, during 2021 our hospital network was able to certify three associates and in return provided car seat education and car seat safety checks to families that needed them. Additional activities included birthing and breastfeeding classes. Due to limited resources and program participants, space was limited. A total of 4 individuals participated in classes throughout 2021. Both virtual and limited in-person sessions are expected to continue in 2022.

Part III, Line 2 - Methodology Used To Estimate Bad Debt Expense
Uncollected patient accounts are analyzed using written patient financial services policies that apply standard procedures for all patient accounts. The result of the analysis is what is recognized as bad debt expense. For example, all self-pay patients receive a discount. If the discounted account is unpaid after collection efforts, the unpaid balance is classified as bad debt. The cost-to-charge ratio is multiplied times the hospital's bad debt expense. The resulting figure has been reported as bad debts at cost on Part III, Line 2.

Part III, Line 3 - Methodology of Estimated Amount & Rationale for Including in Community Benefit
The portion of the bad debts attributed to charity care as reported on Part III, Line 3 was calculated by an independent third-party consulting firm. This is an estimate of additional charity care that would have been granted if patients had cooperated by furnishing family financial information. A statistically valid sampling of patient accounts written-off was evaluated. The evaluation used various factors to determine which patients would have been eligible for charity care. Had the hospital obtained sufficient information from all patients who qualified for financial assistance, these additional accounts would have been recorded as charity care instead of bad debt.

Part III, Line 4 - Bad Debt Expense
The system-wide combined audited financial statements do not contain a footnote describing bad debt expense.

Part III, Line 8 - Explanation Of Shortfall As Community Benefit
The Medicare cost report apportions the hospitals costs on the basis of inpatient days and ancillary and outpatient charges to establish the costing methodology.Healthcare delivery by hospitals is a complex, highly regulated business in the United States. Healthcare unit cost inflation is driven by compliance with ever-expanding regulatory requirements, shortages of highly skilled labor and evolving medical and information technology. The health care market basket is unrelated to that of the average individual consumer. Medicare annual payment updates have fallen behind actual healthcare cost inflation to the point that Medicare payments too many U.S. hospitals are well below the cost of providing care. These unreimbursed costs are a community benefit for seniors and others in the community as these individuals are continuing to receive care without which many would become dependent on other governmental resources such as Medicaid. The benefit to the community for healthier Medicare recipients is no different than those benefits the community realizes for uninsured and underinsured patients who are eligible for partial and full charity care. Medicare is a safety net for seniors and others. Without Medicare coverage, many individuals would undoubtedly qualify for charity care.In addition to the mismatch between Medicare payment increases and healthcare cost inflation, the highly complex Medicare payment systems and formulas produce disparate payment levels from one hospital to another for the same service. These disparate payment levels create disparate results within groups of hospitals. For further information please refer to schedule H part III section B.

Part III, Line 9b - Provisions On Collection Practices For Qualified Patients
"When a patient has requested screening for charity care, the hospital must immediately cease collection activity and place the account in a charity pending status. If 100% charity is approved, the entire account balance is written off to charity care. If the patient has a sliding scale liability based on the federal poverty guidelines, they are billed only for that liability. If the patient fails to pay their after-charity liability, they are assigned to a collection agency with an identifier that indicates to the agency that the patient is ""low incomeX and the following criteria must be followed by the agency:1. They may not report the patient to a credit bureau2. They may not file a lawsuit to recover the outstanding liability3. They may not charge interest"

Part VI, Line 2 - Needs Assessment
The hospital's 2019 CHNA, the 2022 Community Health Plan (CHP) Update for fiscal year 2021, and the 2020 Implementation Strategy adopted in 2020 are posted on the hospital's website at Community Benefit : Roseville, California : Adventist Health. The two most recent Community Health Needs Assessment, two most recent Implementation Strategy reports and the most recent Community Health Plan Update are also available on the Adventist Health Corporate website at Community Benefit : Roseville, California : Adventist Health. The Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) includes both the activity and product of identifying and prioritizing a community's health needs, accomplished through the collection and development of a community health plan. The second component of the CHNA, the community health plan, includes strategies and plans to address prioritized needs, with the goal of contributing to improvements in the community's health. Qualitative and quantitative data sources were used in conducting the CHNA. To accomplish the many important systemic goals that are underway in our community, our hospitals support local partners to augment our own efforts, and to promote a healthier community. Partnership is not used as a legal term, but a description of the relationships of connectivity that are necessary to collectively improve the health of the regions we serve. One of our objectives is to partner with other nonprofit and faith-based organizations that share our values and priorities to improve the health status and quality of life of the community we serve. This is an intentional effort to avoid duplication and leverage the successful work already in existence in the community.

Part VI, Line 7 - States Filing of Community Benefit Report
CA

Part VI, Line 3 - Patient Education of Eligibility for Assistance
The plain language summary of the Financial Assistance Policy (FAP) is posted along with the complete FAP policy and FAP Application on the hospital's website at https://www.adventisthealth.org/documents/financial-assistance/ENG_PFS-112_Financial-Assistance-Policy.pdf. These documents are available in multiple languages.At the time of registration, patients who are uninsured and underinsured are provided information about government healthcare programs. Patients are also orally informed of their right to request charity assistance. Signs are displayed in the patient business office, patient registration areas and the emergency room in multiple languages informing patients of this right as well. The hospital also provides a brochure during the registration process that explains the hospital billing and collection procedures, and how to request financial assistance. In addition, every billing statement sent to patients contains information on how to request financial assistance.

Part VI, Line 4 - Community Information
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the Central Valley, also known as the Great Valley of California, covers about 20,000 square miles and is one of the more notable structural depressions in the world. Occupying a central position in California, it is bounded by the Cascade Range to the north, the Sierra Nevada to the east, the Tehachapi Mountains to the south, and the Coast Ranges and San Francisco Bay to the west. The Central Valley can be divided into two large parts: the northern one-third, known as the Sacramento valley and the southern two-thirds is called the San Joaquin Valley. The San Joaquin Valley can be split further into the San Joaquin Basin and the Tulare Basin. The hospitals participating in this assessment are nestled in the heart of Central Valley, within four contiguous countiesFresno, Kings, Madera, and Tulare. Using fewer than 1% of U.S. farmland, the Central Valley supplies 8% of U.S. agricultural output (by value) and produces 1/4 of the nation's food, including 40% of the nation's fruits, nuts, and other table foods. The Central Valley is also home to the raisin capital of the world, Selma, CA.In 2016, approximately 1,722,556 people lived in the four-county region. Fresno County comprised the largest portion. Of this population, the majority identify as Hispanic or Latino, in every county. Kings County has the largest population of veterans at 10%. The median household income ranges from $42,789 to $47,241 across the four counties.Tulare County has the largest percent of unemployed adults (8.7%) in the region and young people not in school and not working (10.7%). Comparatively, the averages for the state are 4.3% and 7.7%, respectively. Fresno County has the highest percentage of total population and children under age 18 living under the 100% of the federal poverty level, while Tulare County has the largest population that receives both SNAP benefits and public assistance income. Between 2014 and 2018, Fresno and Madera Counties experienced a 17% decrease in the total homeless population (from 2,592 to 2,144). In contrast, Visalia, Kings, and Tulare Counties experienced a 27% increase (from 763 to 967).

Part VI, Line 4 - Community Building Activities
The hospital is involved in numerous community building activities which promote the health of the community. Overwhelmingly, we see diseases of despair including suicide, substance abuse, mental health and chronic illnesses plaguing the communities in which we have a significant presence in. These community concerns are addressed through health improvement, education, poverty, workforce development and access to care. This is why we have focused our work around addressing behavior and the systems keeping the most vulnerable people in cycles of poverty and high utilization. In an effort to heal these communities, we have strategically invested in our communities by partnering with national leaders in community well-being. We believe the power of community transformation lies in the hands of the community. Our solution for transformation is to create a sustainable model of well-being that measurably impacts the well-being of people, well-being of place and equity. In 2020, Adventist Health acquired Blue Zones as the first step toward reaching our solution. By partnering with Blue Zones, we will be able to gain ground in shifting the balance from healthcare treating people once they are ill to transformative well-being changing the way communities live, work and play. In 2021, Adventist Health committed to launching six Blue Zone Projects within our community footprint, and as we enter 2022 these projects are active. Blue Zones widens our impact from only reaching our hospitals communities in four states to a global mission practice. We also encourage our employees to serve on community collaboration boards, health advocacy programs, and physical improvement projects to promote the health of the communities we serve. In addition, we work with neighborhood programs, including schools, work sites and safety net providers to promote health and wellness and prevent disease. These activities are not included elsewhere on Schedule H.

Part VI, Line 5 - Promotion of Community Health
Our hospitals mission is, Living Gods love by inspiring health, wholeness and hope. Our community benefit work is rooted deep within our mission and merely an extension of our mission and service. We have also incorporated our community benefit work to be an integral component of improving the Triple Aim. The Triple Aim concept broadly known and accepted within health care includes:1) Improve the experience of care for our residents.2) Improve the health of populations.3) Reduce the per capita costs of health care.Our strategic investments in our community are focused on a more planned, proactive approach to community health. The basic issue of good stewardship is making optimal use of limited charitable funds. Defaulting to charity care in our emergency rooms for the most vulnerable is not consistent with our mission. An upstream and more proactive and strategic allocation of resources enables us to help low income populations avoid preventable pain and suffering; in turn allowing the reallocation of funds to serve an increasing number of people experiencing health disparities.Hospitals and health systems are facing continuous challenges during this historic shift in our health system. Given todays state of health, where cost and heartache are soaring, now more than ever, we believe we can do something to change this. These challenges include a paradigm shift in how hospitals and health systems are positioning themselves and their strategies for success in a new payment environment. This will impact everyone in a community and will require shared responsibility among all stakeholders. As hospitals move toward population health management, community health interventions are a key element in achieving the overall goals of reducing the overall cost of health care, improving the health of the population, and improving access to affordable health services for the community both in outpatient and community settings. The key factor in improving quality and efficiency of the care hospitals provide is to include the larger community they serve as a part of their overall strategy. Population health is not just the overall health of a population, but also includes the distribution of health. Overall health could be quite high if the majority of the population is relatively healthyeven though a minority of the population is much less healthy. Ideally such differences would be eliminated or at least substantially reduced.Community health can serve as a strategic platform to improve the health outcomes of a defined group of people, concentrating on three correlated stages:1) The distribution of specific health statuses and outcomes within a population; 2) Factors that cause the present outcomes distribution; and 3) Interventions that may modify the factors to improve health outcomes.Improving population health requires effective initiatives to: 1) Increase the prevalence of evidence-based preventive health services and preventive health behaviors, 2) Improve care quality and patient safety, and 3) Advance care coordination across the health care continuum. We will work together with our community to ensure the community health improvements are identified and then targeted for programs to influence behaviors to obtain improved health within the whole community.

Part VI, Line 6 - Affilated Health Care System
The hospital is a member of Adventist Health, a health care system which provides healthcare services in diverse markets within the Western United States. A member hospital may share some services with other member hospitals in its geographic area, such as clinical, management and support services. Using today's technology, hospitals outside the geographic area can provide support through remote services such as tele pharmacy and robotics surgery. The Corporate Office provides important shared administrative support for member hospitals' rural health clinics and home care agencies, quality of care, other clinical needs, financing and risk management, and shared clinical and financial information technology. As many experienced and new physicians search for alternatives to independent practice, there is also corporate administrative support for hospital affiliated medical groups that engage physicians through employment or other contracts. This provides stability and growth of qualified physicians across many specialties, which is very important to make healthcare services available and to maintain and improve health within the communities served by all member hospitals.

Part VI - Additional Information
Identified Needs from CHNA, Not Addressed and Why (Based on 2020 (FY 2019) CHP Update)No hospital can address all the health needs identified in its community. Adventist Health Tulare is committed to serving the community by adhering to its mission, and using its skills, expertise, and resources to provide a range of community benefit programs. Climate Change: We feel that this is not our area of expertise and while we are willing to partner with organization who are engaging in activities to address Climate Change, this is not a top priority at this time. Substance Abuse/Tobacco- will be addressed through Mental Health, Access to Care, and Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL). Oral Health- will be addressed through Access to Care. Asthma- will be addressed through Access to Care. CVD/Stroke- will be addressed through Access to Care and HEAL. HIV/AIDS/STIs- will be addressed through Access to Care and Maternal/Infant Health. Cancer- will be address through Access to Care and HEAL. Violence/Injury Prevention- will be address through Economic Security/Homelessness, Access to Care and Maternal/Infant Health. Other Items: In FY2021, Adventist Health Hanford/Selma continued to offer the following actions in response to the needs created or exacerbated by COVID-19: Continued virtual healthcare visits to keep community members safe and healthy; continued their online symptom tracker and was part of a communitywide effort to vaccinate eligible community members. Primary website address: See Form 990, Pg. 1, Item JNeeds Assessment website: See Sch H Part VI - Needs AssessmentFAP website: See Sch H Part VI-Patient Education