Scripps Invests $372.6 Million into Community Benefit Services

In 2014, Scripps provided hospital services to one-quarter of the county’s uninsured patient population.

Uncompensated care for 2014 included $259.15 million in under-reimbursed care (underpayment from Medi-Cal, Medicare and other government programs), $47.96 million in charity care (for people without insurance who did not qualify for government assistance) and $14.6 million in bad debt (failure to pay by patients whose health care was not classified as charity care).

Scripps Mercy Hospital campuses in San Diego and Chula Vista accounted for more than two-thirds of the $47.96 million Scripps Health devoted to charity care.

Scripps also invested $36.25 million in professional education and health research. This included $15.2 million for graduate medical education programs at Scripps Green, Scripps Mercy and the Scripps Mercy Family Medicine Residency and $15 million for health research, primarily at Scripps Clinical Research Services, Scripps Whittier Diabetes Institute, Scripps Genomic Medicine and Scripps Translational Science Institute

Scripps devoted $14.64 million to community health services, subsidized health services and as cash and in-kind contributions in support of community building activities and prevention and wellness programs such as cardiac screenings, diabetes education, cancer support groups and health and wellness events.

Scripps Health employees and affiliated physicians collectively volunteered 7,529 hours in support of Scripps-sponsored community benefit programs, the equivalent of nearly $347,984 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 2015 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 care services, hospice care, wellness centers and clinics.

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