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<section article="ghg" article_name="Health - General" number="19-303" title_number="19" title_name="Health Care Facilities" subtitle_number="3" subtitle_name="Hospitals and Related Institutions">
  <level label="a">
    <level label="1">
      <text>In this section the following words have the meanings indicated.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>“Commission” means the Health Services Cost Review Commission.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <level label="i">
        <text>“Community benefit” means a planned, organized, and measured activity that is intended to meet identified community health needs within a service area.</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>“Community benefit” may include:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>A community health service;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>Health professional education;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="3">
          <text>Research;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="4">
          <text>A financial contribution;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="5">
          <text>A community–building activity, including partnerships with community–based organizations;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="6">
          <text>Charity care;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="7">
          <text>An activity described under subparagraph (i) of this paragraph that is funded by a foundation;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="8">
          <text>A mission–driven health service;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="9">
          <text>An operation related to an activity described under subparagraph (i) of this paragraph;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="10">
          <text>Financial or in–kind support of the Maryland Behavioral Health Crisis Response System; and</text>
        </level>
        <level label="11">
          <text>A community health worker workforce program established in accordance with § 19–303.1 of this subtitle.</text>
        </level>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>“Community Benefit Reporting Workgroup” means the Community Benefit Reporting Workgroup established in accordance with subsection (b) of this section.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="5">
      <text>“Community health needs assessment” means the process required by the Affordable Care Act by which unmet community health care needs and priorities are identified by a nonprofit hospital in accordance with § 501(r)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <level label="1">
      <text>The Commission shall establish a Community Benefit Reporting Workgroup.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The Community Benefit Reporting Workgroup shall be composed of individuals and stakeholder groups that have knowledge of and are impacted by hospital community benefit spending.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <text>The Commission shall adopt regulations to implement the recommendations of the Community Benefit Reporting Workgroup, that:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>Establish a standard format for reporting the information required under this subsection;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Specify the date by which each nonprofit hospital is required to submit the annual community benefit report;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>Require each nonprofit hospital to solicit and take into account input received from individuals who represent the broad interests of that community, including individuals with special knowledge of or expertise in public and behavioral health in accordance with § 501(r)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>Require each nonprofit hospital to conduct its community health needs assessment in consultation with community members as recommended by the Community Benefit Reporting Workgroup and to submit an annual community benefits report to the Commission detailing the community benefits provided by the hospital during the preceding year that includes:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>The mission statement of the hospital;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>A list of the activities that were undertaken by the hospital to address the identified community health needs within the hospital’s community;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>The cost to the hospital of each community benefit activity;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iv">
        <text>A description of how each of the listed activities addresses the community health needs of the hospital’s community;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="v">
        <text>A description of efforts taken to evaluate the effectiveness of each community benefit activity;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="vi">
        <text>A description of gaps in the availability of providers to serve the community;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="vii">
        <text>A description of the hospital’s efforts to track and reduce health disparities in the community that the hospital serves;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="viii">
        <text>A list of the unmet community health needs identified in the most recent community health needs assessment; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ix">
        <text>A list of tax exemptions the hospital claimed during the immediately preceding taxable year, in accordance with State law.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <text>The Commission shall establish a method through which State and local governing bodies are made aware of the meetings of the Community Benefit Reporting Workgroup.</text>
  </level>
</section>
