Hospitals occupy a unique position in our lives. They are often the largest employer in town, and for many people, the last resort when everything else has failed. Living up to that role is harder than it looks.

We’ve spent nearly two decades helping hospitals and health systems do exactly that, doing work that strengthens both the institution and the community it serves. The work is rarely simple, but the goal always is.

Community health needs assessments are their own practice area at PGG. Take a look.

Community benefit programming is where we got our start, and it remains the work we are most proud of. We help hospitals design and evaluate programs that are connected to real community needs, well-documented, and built to hold up over time. That includes developing programs and partnerships that connect low-income patients to affordable, accessible care in community settings.

A hospital’s financial assistance policy sits at the center of it all and is usually the hospital’s biggest community benefit program. A well-designed policy hits the right level of support for your community, and everybody wins. A poorly designed policy is often where medical debt begins. We help hospitals get these policies right, from development through 501(r) compliance, with an eye toward what actually serves the people walking through your doors. Over the last year alone, we have helped lead this work across more than 125 hospitals in 25 states.

And when it’s time to report, we help hospitals document and defend their community benefit efforts accurately and completely. We handle Schedule H preparation, community benefit audits, and reporting reviews, making sure the story on paper reflects the work on the ground.