The Affordable Care Act and Its Effect On Philanthropy

Amid the uncertainty in the industry, hospitals remain the major centers of American health care. According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 35.1 million people were discharged from inpatient care at non-federal hospitals in 2010. There were more than 100 million outpatient department visits and almost 130 million visits to emergency departments.

The opinions regarding the effect ACA may have on health care institutions vary. On the one hand, many hospitals will now be rewarded more for the quality of care, than for the volume of patients they treat. On the other, they may treat patients in a more universal way, with successful outcomes the most important measure of a hospital’s performance. Either of these scenarios leaves the hospital or system with a growing revenue gap.

As this transition occurs, hospitals and health systems are striving to identify new and creative revenue sources. Through strategic investments in philanthropy, hospital and health system foundations have the opportunity to help close this gap by becoming an increasingly effective and impactful revenue source.

Not long ago, Campbell & Company held a comprehensive webinar series titled Growing for the Future: Healthcare Fundraising in an Uncertain Environment. Some of the key discussion points included:

• Now and into the future: Providing same level of care at a lower reimbursement – what is created is a gap – limiting operating and capital budgets
• The business model shift from volume to value is most challenging for healthcare organizations
• Figuring out how to provide more affordable, higher quality care at lower reimbursement rates—probably under a fixed or bundled payment model—is imperative for survival
• Decreasing federal reimbursement levels are a fundamental issue of concern, with broad implications for the quality of care providers are able to deliver
• Strategic investments in philanthropy and careful planning can help hospitals and health systems bridge this newly created funding gap

Share your ideas on the effects of ACA on philanthropy. Let’s get the conversation going!

Want to learn more? Contact Adam Wilhelm, Senior Consultant, Campbell & Company. 

About the Campbell & Company Healthcare Practice

The Campbell & Company Healthcare Team are experts in healthcare philanthropy and staff management. We understand the context in which healthcare organizations operate, and create a structure and process within that context, tailored to your community, that allows philanthropy to grow. For 36 years, we have helped hundreds of healthcare institutions succeed in growing and sustaining their programs.

Campbell & Company maintains offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, Portland, the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle and Washington, DC. For more information, please telephone (877) 957-0000 toll free, email info@campbellcompany.com or visit www.campbellcompany.com.