St. Joseph

St. Joseph
Health System

Community Benefits

Overview

St. Joseph Health System is a values-based, not-for-profit health care organization with a rich tradition of responding to the needs of the community. For 63 years, we have distinguished ourselves by our commitment to all who require health care services, including the uninsured and other populations with special needs.

Service Community

St Joseph Health System serves the residents of seven counties in central Texas. Those counties include: Brazos, Burleson, Grimes, Leon, Madison, Robertson, and Washington. Over fifty percent (50%) of the total population in the seven county area lives in the Bryan-College Station area. Five of the counties (Burleson, Grimes, Leon, Madison, and Robertson) have been federally designated as medically under-served areas (MUA) and Health Care Professional Shortage areas (HPSA). The St. Joseph Health System includes four health centers, Burleson St. Joseph Health Center in Caldwell (Burleson County), Grimes St. Joseph Health Center in Navasota (Grimes County), Madison St. Joseph Health Center in Madisonville (Madison County) and St. Joseph Regional Health Center in Bryan (Brazos County). St. Joseph also supports eight rural health clinics in Caldwell, Centerville, Franklin, Hearne, Lexington, Madisonville, Normangee, and Somerville.

What is Community Benefit?

Community Benefit is the cost to the hospital of providing charity care, donations, education, and research, as well as subsidizing government-sponsored health care services and programs. Below are some key definitions that relate to community benefit:

Charity Care means the unreimbursed cost to the hospital of providing health care services on an inpatient or outpatient basis to persons classified by the hospital as being unable to pay for the cost of their care, based either on their financial situation or medical condition.

Government-sponsored indigent health care is the cost to a hospital of providing health care services to recipients of federal, state, or local indigent health care programs, eligibility for which is based on financial need. Medicaid and County Indigent Health Care programs are examples of government-sponsored indigent health care programs. Frequently, reimbursements from government health programs are less than the cost of the service and must be subsidized. St. Joseph provides that subsidy for qualified patients.

Government-sponsored program Unreimbursed Costs are the unreimbursed cost to the hospital of providing health care services to the beneficiaries of federal, state, or local government health care programs for which eligibility is not based on financial need. Medicare and the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS) are examples of these programs. Reimbursements from some of these government health programs are less than the cost of the service and must be subsidized. St. Joseph provides that subsidy for qualified patients.

Community Benefit Summary

In its 1998 Annual Report to State and Local authorities of Community Benefit activities, St. Joseph Regional Health Center reported $11.5 million in unreimbursed cost of care provided to the financially and medically indigent reflected in documented charity care. In addition $17.1 million was spent in uncompensated care as bad debt, much of which is undocumented charity care.

Additionally, SJRHC reports $7,877,581 in unreimbursed cost of care provided to Medicare and Champus patients.

During the same period, SJRHC reported $2,788,879 for miscellaneous community benefit activities. These activities include staff and patient education, support to the Brazos Valley Family Practice Residency Program, and numerous donations/support to health related organizations.

In summation, the total amount of community benefits rendered by St. Joseph Regional Health Center for 1998, including charity care and government-sponsored indigent health care, other government-sponsored health care programs, and miscellaneous other community benefits was $26.6 million.

Community Programs

Some of the ways that St. Joseph demonstrates its commitment to the community it serves is through community-based programs and collaborations. In early 1995, St. Joseph joined the Brazos County Health Department, Brazos and Robertson County Medical Society, Brazos Valley Academy of Family Physicians, College Station Medical Center, Scott and White Bryan/College Station Clinic, and Texas A&M University Health Science Center to being the Family Practice Residency program. Shots for Tots is a community-based program that began in 1997 to increase the immunization rate of children in the Brazos Valley. A collaboration was formed with the Brazos County Health Department and many local businesses to provide immunizations and health information combined with entertainment and a healthy snack. During 1997, 65% of all immunizations given in the Brazos area were given at Shots for Tots.

Community Needs Assessments

As a part of St. Joseph’s mission and vision to respond to the needs of the community, in 1996 and 1997 St. Joseph conducted community needs assessments in each of the counties that we serve. With the support of Texas A&M University’s Public Policy and Research Institute, groups of residents in each county came together to write the survey instrument based on issues that were important to them. The community volunteers in each county then conducted the survey community-wide and door-to-door. The surveys were completed June 1998. The communities are now planning strategies to address the needs that the survey identified.

For more information please contact:

Andrea Smith
Administrative Director, Healthy Communities
3030 E. 29th Street, Suite 103
Bryan, TX 77802

Phone (979) 731-1231
Fax (979) 774-0913

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