Mercy North Home Care & Hospice

Programs: Mercy north homecare and hospice responds to individual and community health needs by providing health services to individuals in their homes. Services provided include intermittent nurse visits for home health services and hospice services. Mercy north homecare and hospice provides services to all individuals who apply for care regardless of their ability to pay. During fiscal year ending june 30, 2014, mercy north homecare and hospice provided 33,223 home health visits, and there were 41,164 days of hospice care provided. The amounts below reflect the quantifiable costs of mercy north homecare and hospice's community benefit ministry for the year ended june 30, 2014: ministry for the poor and underserved:$ 49,019 charity care at cost 194,519 unpaid cost of medicaid and other public programs 19,195 community health services 2,221 financial contributions 230 community building activities $265,184 ministry for the poor and underserved ministry for the broader community: 6,483 community health services 532 community building activities 328 community benefit operations 509 community health prof. Education 7,852 ministry for the broader community$273,036 community benefit ministryministry for the poor and underserved represents the financial commitment to seek out and serve those who need help the most, especially the poor, the uninsured and the indigent. This is done with the conviction that healthcare is a basic human right. Ministry for the broader community represents the cost of services provided for the general benefit of the communities in which mercy north homecare and hospice operates. Many programs are targeted toward populations that may be poor, but also include those areas that may need special health services and support. These programs are not intended to be financially self-supporting. Charity care at cost represents the cost of services provided to patients who cannot afford health care services due to inadequate resources and/or are uninsured or underinsured. A patient is classified as a charity patient in accordance with the established policies of mercy north homecare and hospice and where no payment for such services is anticipated. The cost of charity care is calculated using a cost to charge ratio methodology. Unpaid cost of medicaid and other public programs represents the cost (determined using a cost to charge ratio) of providing services to beneficiaries of public programs, including state medicaid and indigent care programs, in excess of governmental and managed care contract payments. Financial contributions are made by mercy north homecare and hospice on behalf of the poor and underserved to community agencies. These amounts include special system-wide funds used for charitable activities as well as resources contributed directly to programs, organizations, and foundations for efforts on behalf of the poor and underserved. Amounts included here also represent certain in-kind donations. Community health services are activities and services for which no patient bill exists. These services are not expected to be financially self-supporting, although some may be supported by outside grants or funding. Amounts reported are net of any outside funding. Mercy north homecare and hospice actively collaborates with community groups and agencies to assist those in need in providing such services. Community building activities include the costs of programs that improve the physical environment, promote economic development, enhance other community support systems, develop leadership skills training, and build community coalitions. Community benefit operations include costs associated with dedicated staff, community health needs and/or assets assessments, and other costs associated with community benefit strategy and operations. Health professions education includes the unreimbursed cost of training health professionals such as medical residents, nursing students, technicians and students in allied health professions.