Scripps Invests Nearly $19 Million Into Community Benefits in South County

Scripps divides community benefit services into three categories: uncompensated health care, community health improvement services and professional education and health research.

Uncompensated care accounted for the largest portion of Scripps’ community benefit efforts throughout San Diego County, more than $316 million in fiscal 2015.

In South County, uncompensated care totaled $15.3 million including:

• $7.6 million in under-reimbursed care (underpayment from Medi-Cal, Medicare and other government programs).
• $6.8 million in charity care (for people without insurance who did not qualify for government assistance).
• More than $835,000 in bad debt (failure to pay by patients whose health care was not classified as charity care).

Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista also invested $2.9 million in professional education and health research, including the Scripps Family Medicine Residency Program.

It devoted more than $275,000 to community health services, including screenings, health education and health fairs. And more than $335,000 went to community building activities such as support for the Chula Vista Community Collaborative, which focuses on protecting the health, safety and wellness of area residents. Scripps Mercy Chula Vista employees and affiliated physicians collectively volunteered 5,447 hours in support of Scripps-sponsored community benefit programs, the equivalent of more than $256,000 in volunteer labor. (Volunteer hours are mentioned in the report but are not part of the community benefit total).

Scripps collaborates with other health systems, community groups and government agencies, as well as business and grassroots organizations to serve the greatest patient population needs and prioritize investments in the health and well-being of the community.

The 2016 Community Benefit Report is the system’s annual response to Senate Bill 697, a 1994 state law that requires private, nonprofit hospitals to document the full range of community benefits they provide on a yearly basis. Scripps takes this legislative requirement a step further by incorporating community benefit activities from throughout the system, including Scripps’ five acute-care hospital campuses, home health services, wellness centers and clinics.

Learn more about Scripps Health, a nonprofit integrated health system in San Diego, Calif.