Methodist Community Benefit Report

The community benefits plan adopted by Methodist is focused on improving health--the health of each individual and the health of the community.  Our health priorities--heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, hip fractures, and infant mortality--match the needs of Peoria County identified by the Department of Public Health.  The Methodist Community Benefits Plan includes five major goals.  The goals, together with the specific initiatives being undertaken by Methodist to achieve the goals, are summarized briefly below.  (You may find a full summary in the Benefit Report document at the bottom of the page.)

Improve access to high quality healthcare services.

As a charitable organization, Methodist provides care without regard to a person's ability to pay or economic wherewithal.  The hospital, physician offices and outpatient clinics have an open access policy, accepting all patients and all payers.  In 2007, Methodist provided $3.63 million dollars in charity care (at cost), underwrote $51.8 million in expenses that were not fully reimbursed by Medicare and Medicaid, and wrote off $6.7 million in bad debts (at cost).  Historically, Methodist has been the largest or second largest provider of inpatient care to the Medicaid population in the service area.

In 2003, Methodist invested $2.4 million dollars to renovate and expand its emergency department in order to ensure access to emergency medical care.  This year, Methodist will serve approximately 56,405 emergency room visits, of which 42.3% are Medicaid patients.  Methodist is also one of the largest providers of primary care services and a principle access point for the medically underserved population.  In 2006, Methodist improved access to the indigent population by converting one of its community health clinics (Carver Center) into a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC).  Access to primary care services to the rural population was also enhanced in 2006 with the opening of two new medical offices in Canton and Lacon, Illinois. 

Methodist offers free patient transportation through the Methodist Courtesy Van and provides $60,000 in support of MedForce, a non-profit air ambulance service to ensure access to surrounding rural communities. 

Methodist provides behavioral health programs for children, adolescents, adults, and seniors through inpatient, outpatient and partial hospitalization services.  The Methodist Mental Health Clinic serves patients who may not qualify financially for other behavioral health services in the community.

Methodist is now the only provider of inpatient behavioral health services in the Peoria service area.  Methodist has continued to provide this service while all other inpatient behavioral health programs in the area have closed over the past several years.  Methodist is working to improve access to high quality mental healthcare services and is working to increase the number of adult mental health beds.

Reduce the incidence of disease through prevention and education programs.

We believe the greatest opportunity for long-term health improvement is to empower individuals to make informed health decisions through education and to encourage prevention of disease through wellness and early detection.  Population groups with the lowest health status are those with the highest poverty rates and least education.  In response, Methodist has partnered with several school districts to integrate healthcare into the schools.  In Peoria, Methodist provides primary care and health education to 10 inner-city primary and middle schools.

Methodist offers a variety of programs aimed at behavior modification such as smoking cessation classes, weight loss classes, dietary counseling and a wellness facility that has a wide array of cardiac and muscle development activities.  Methodist is a major sponsor of the "Moonwalk," a community-wide effort to engage people in exercise. 

In 2007, Methodist immunized 13,960 adults against influenza.  Methodist offers a wide array of community health screenings either free of charge or at little cost.  In 2007, Methodist launched a major initiative to screen high risk children for lead poisoning.  According to data published by the Illinois Department of Public Health, Peoria County ranked #1 in lead poisoning across the State, and fewer than 25% of the county's children had been screened.  Other screenings offered by Methodist include blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol, ABI (a test for peripheral artery disease), PSA (a test for prostate cancer), pulmonary function, and stroke.  Methodist also offers free depression and anxiety screenings.  In 2008, Methodist plans to screen 80% of the targeted population for lead poisoning.           

Improve cardiovascular health and quality of life through prevention, early detection of heart disease, and early treatment of heart attacks and strokes.

In Peoria, as well as the rest of the nation, the leading cause of death is heart disease.  Over the past several years, Methodist has made major investments in an effort to improve the quality and scope of cardiac services available to the Peoria service area.  Among these are: 1) the acquisition of a 64-slice CT scanner to provide CT Angiography; 2) the recruitment of six cardiologists; 3) the establishment of a Heart and Vascular Center which integrates physician and outpatient diagnostic and treatment services; 4) the opening of an award winning chest pain center within the emergency department; 5) the installment of a new endovascular lab; 6) the establishment of the hospital's first electrophysiology lab; 7) the establishment of a HeartStat program to ensure quick access to cardiac catheterization; 8) participation in several clinical trials to test various devices; and, 9) the purchase of one of the first and most advanced CT/PET scanners in the world.  The capital investment associated with these initiatives alone exceeds $9 million.

Reduce the health disparity that exists among segments of the population, including differences that occur by gender, race and age.

The health disparities among various segments of the population have been a significant concern for Methodist.  Methodist has undertaken numerous initiatives aimed at improving the health of minorities, women and the elderly.  Among those has been the initiation of a women's health fellowship to train physicians in the unique aspects of women's health; the development of a geriatric fellowship for physicians who want to specialize in the care of the elderly; and the operation of a school health program that targets children going to inner-city schools.  Combined, these initiatives require annual subsidies of nearly $758,113.

Improve the quality of life for the residents of Peoria and the surrounding communities.

As Central Illinois' second largest acute care provider, Methodist fully recognizes its responsibility for meeting the healthcare needs of the communities we serve.  The Medical Center's corporate responsibility, however, extends well beyond healthcare.  Methodist is also the third largest employer in the Peoria metropolitan area and as such has a significant influence on the community's overall quality of life.  Unlike many hospitals, Methodist does not use its not-for-profit status as a means to avoid charitable contributions.  In 2007, Methodist provided close to $1.6 million in financial support to the local community.  While much of the financial support goes toward the funding of health-related entities such as Easter Seals, other proceeds are earmarked for enhancing the area's quality of life.  For example, Methodist is a major sponsor of the Lakeview Museum, Bradley University, and the Peoria Zoo. 

In addition to Methodist's economic contributions, Methodist's management team is encouraged to get involved in their communities through volunteerism.  Every member of the hospital's executive staff serves on at least one civic board.  Methodist promotes volunteerism by linking executives to non-profit organizations, and allowing them to volunteer on Methodist's time.  In 2007, over 12,000 volunteer hours were documented. 

Michael Bryant, President and CEO of Methodist, spearheaded the creation of Peoria's Med-Tech District and served as its first Chairman.  The Med-Tech District is the city's primary economic development strategy.  Additionally, Methodist is a founding member of both PeoriaNext and the Civic Federation.  Both of these organizations have a goal of improving the economic well-being and quality of life for citizens of Peoria.

Methodist was the second largest supporter in the 2006 Heart of Illinois United Way Campaign, which provides financial support annually to 47 area health and social services programs in a six-county radius.

         

Community Benefits Summary (In Millions):

Charity, Discounted, and Unpaid Health Care	$10.4
Unfunded Cost of Government Health Plans	$51.8
Unfunded Cost of Medical Education	$2.5
Community Health Programs	$7.9
Sponsorships and Donations	$1.6
Other	$.7
Total Community Benefits Provided	$74.9

View Methodist's Community Benefit Report.