Statement from Lynn Nicholas, FACHE, President & CEO, Massachusetts Hospital Association, on the AG’s Community Benefit guidelines, released Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Massachusetts hospitals are strongly committed to their communities, and all share the common goals of providing substantial and meaningful assistance to their neighbors, as well as increased transparency regarding their community benefit efforts.
 
Attorney General Martha Coakley’s new Community Benefit guidelines are the result of an extensive, thoughtful collaborative effort among many stakeholders, and Massachusetts Hospital Association is proud to have been an active participant in their development. MHA worked closely with more than 40 member hospitals to provide input throughout the guideline development process. In addition to MHA’s President and CEO Lynn Nicholas, representatives from both community hospitals and teaching hospitals also participated as members of the Attorney General’s workgroup.
 
The Attorney General should be commended for her prioritization of this important initiative. Both she and her staff committed many hours to working with various stakeholders to develop a consensus approach that streamlines the current process while addressing the important health needs of the Commonwealth in a more focused and efficient manner.
 
We believe the new guidelines will help ensure better planning and coordination of community benefits programs and will recognize some of the less visible contributions made by hospitals to their communities, particularly in terms of participation and focus on statewide health initiatives. MHA looks forward to continued collaboration with the AG, healthcare providers, insurers and Massachusetts’ communities at large as we begin implementing the new guidelines.