Wellstar Health System Inc

Programs: Wellstar health system is a vertically integrated health care delivery system which provides through affiliated business organizations a full spectrum of health services, including wellness programs, physician office visits, outpatient care, inpatient care, and post-acute services such as home health and long term nursing care. The system through its affiliated business organizations operates five hospitals(kennestone, cobb, paulding medical, douglas and windy hill), multiple physician offices, primary care centers, outpatient care facilities, a nursing home and other health related services including two inpatient hospice facilities. The system is supported financially by a fund-raising organization, wellstar foundation, inc. The service area for the system encompasses parts of the northwestern section of the state of georgia - the primary area being in bartow, cherokee, cobb, douglas and paulding counties. Approximately 90% of inpatient discharges and outpatients served are from the aforementioned counties. The wellstar vision is to deliver world class healthcare. Our mission is to create and deliver high quality hospital, physician and other healthcare related services that improve the health and well-being of the individuals and communities we serve. History ------- in 1993, what was then known as the cobb health system, the kennestone regional health care system, and the douglas general hospital affiliated to form the northwest georgia health system. Paulding memorial medical center affiliated with northwest georgia health system in 1994. In 1994, the northwest georgia health system helped form the promina health system and changed its name to promina northwest health system. In 1998, promina northwest health system changed its name to wellstar health system. Wellstar disassociated from and became totally independent of promina in 1999. Wellstar health system is a parent corporation which provides overall coordination including governing body to its seven subordinate affiliates: 1) cobb hospital, inc; 2) chs foundation, inc (investment management); 3) douglas hospital inc; 4) kennestone hospital, inc; 5) paulding medical center, inc; 6) wellstar foundation inc. And 7)community assurance company, ltd. (a captive self-insurance organization). Services -------- wellstar health system is able to offer a full range of healthcare services through its affiliates. The services offered include but are not limited to: most major inpatient clinical services, outpatient services, diagnostic and therapeutic services, ancilliary and support services, urgent care services and home health services. The system includes a residential facility on the kennestone hospital campus, called atherton place. Artherton place also houses an assisted living unit as an additional level of care. The five hospitals are acute care facilities with inpatient, outpatient, and emergency services. Paulding medical center is home to a full care nursing home, paulding nursing center. Cobb hospital is home to a home health agency and a residential hospice facility called tranquility for those patients in the end stages of life. Kennestone hospital also opened a residential hospice facility not far from its main campus. The system is complimented with approximately 85 physician practices and several urgent care centers. The system is thus able to provide a complete continuum of care for the community its serves. The following statements of community benefit and program service accomplishments represent system-wide activity for wellstar health system, inc. (the "system") - ein 58-1649541. All affiliated entities of the system except the physician hospital organization (ein 58-2116179) operate as charitable organizations consistent with the requirements of internal revenue code section 501(c)(3) and the "community benefit standard" of irs revenue ruling 69-545. The following excerpt from the audited financial statements identifies a broad overview of the charitable purpose for the system. "the system maintains records to identify and monitor the level of charity care it provides through its affiliates. These records include the amount of charges foregone for services and supplies furnished under its charity care policy. Charges foregone, based on established rates, totaled approximately $343. 8 million and $314. 8 million in 2012 and 2013 respectively. In fiscal 2013, wellstar affiliate hospitals made $15. 5 million in provider payments and recognized such payments as a reduction in net patient service revenue in the accompanying combined financial statements. The system also participates in certain governmental insurance programs, including medicare and medicaid. Under these programs, the system provides care to patients at payment rates which are determined by the federal and state governments, regardless of the system's actual charges. In most cases, these programs pay the system at amounts which are less than its cost of providing services. The system offers many wellness and educational services at little or no cost to the community. Health fairs are held throughout the year at convenient locations, providing various health screenings, such as mammograms, blood pressure and cholesterol checks. A large number of educational programs are offered for all ages. These programs include bicycle safety, car seat safety, defensive driving, cpr and first-aid classes. Flu shots are available to the community during flu season. Health screenings, medical supplies, and immunizations are provided to children through local health departments and health fairs with system sponsorship in many cases. The costs of these services are included in operating expenses. The system promotes health education and activities for students, parents, and teachers through its partner-in-education programs. The physicians of the system make significant contributions to improve the health status of the community, including involvement in many community activities promoting health awareness and improvement, emergency room care, and delivery of care to the indigent population of the system's service area. The system also made significant contributions to the nursing program at a local university. This financial support has helped to grow the program, which benefits the system as well as the community. The system and all but one of its affiliates have been recognized as organizations exempt from federal income tax under internal revenue code section 501 ( a ) as organizations described in section 501(c)(3) and, therefore, related income is generally not subject to federal or state income taxes. One of the system's affiliates is a controlled foreign corporation not subject to federal income tax. The physician hospital organization (ein 58-2116179) is a taxable affiliate of the system and files irs form 1120 us corporation income tax return. " financial data and statistics (services provided system-wide) licensed beds-1,321 discharges-64,376 newborn deliveries-9,560 emergency room visits-322,082 behavioral er visits-8,598 surgeries-43,030 cath lab/pacemakers/ep-9,741 non-ed o/p radiology procedures-285,677 medical group visits-1,433,816 community benefits ------------------ wellstar health system participates and collaborates with patients and residents in meeting health needs and improving the overall quality of life in the community. This is especially important in responding to the needs of the underserved regardless of the system's ability to generate a positive margin. Some services would possibly be discontinued if based on a purely financial basis. The following are some examples of the system's services that provide community benefits (and a monetary value of those benefits if known). Clinics wellstar is affiliated with several clinics which provide free or discounted health services to persons who cannot afford to pay or those who are not expected to pay. During fy2013 as in the prior year the clinics at kennestone and cobb hospitals experienced a combined total of 8,000 patient visits at a cost of $2. 8 million. Community health/education wellstar's marketing and public relations department provides free brochures on a variety of health-related issues. On a quarterly basis wellstar sends out a wellness magazine entitled "health and you" to 180,000 homes in the community/service area. The magazine provides information on health issues and a schedule of health related classes/seminars available throughout the system. While the magazine is an excellent referral source for wellstar's varied services, it provides free medical information to the households receiving the publication. Wellstar provides support groups and educational opportunities to the community on a variety of topics (examples-- men's and women's health issues, palliative care, mental health, birthing classes, etc. ) some of these opportunities are provided free of charge or at a minimal fee. Wellstar also provides free or low cost screen