A community health assessment (CHA), also known as community health needs assessment (CHNA), refers to a state, tribal, local, or territorial health assessment that identifies key health needs and issues through systematic, comprehensive data collection and analysis. With the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), all not-for-profit, nongovernmental hospitals must complete a community health needs assessment every three (3) years.

Watch this short video to learn more about Community Health Needs Assessments and the value they bring to your organization and community.

Community Health Needs Assessment

As a nonprofit hospital, the CHNA is required every three years, but all hospitals can benefit from performing one periodically. In fact, when done properly, the CHNA can also give organizations the opportunity to pursue their mission and expand their presence, identifying the needs of the community.

Ultimately, the CHNA can be used as a great tool to help better prepare for strategic planning and initiatives for the coming years. By incorporating the CHNA process into the larger strategic planning process, hospitals can identify innovative approaches to pursuing mission-driven activities and services through relationships with other community organizations.

What the CHNA Tells Your Organization 

Traditionally, hospitals have conducted the strategic planning process as a predominantly hospital-focused exercise. In the last 5 to 10 years, we have seen the healthcare industry shift toward a more preventative care model, based on collaboration, across all providers. In this shift, we have also noticed that community-based health and value-based care has also been pushed as the future of hospitals and its health systems.

The community health needs assessment will:

• Define the community it serves
• Assess the health needs of that community
• In assessing the community’s health needs, solicit input from the local community, including those with special knowledge of or expertise in public health
• Document the implementation plan that can be used as the strategic road map for the next 3 years.
• Document the CHNA in a written report (CHNA report) that is adopted for the hospital facility by an authorized body of the hospital facility.

After completing the assessment, this information can help with developing a community health improvement plan by justifying how and where resources should be allocated to best meet community needs.

Contact Us

Is your organization ready for the shift into more population health driven management and initiatives? The team here at Blue & Co. is here and ready to assist in helping you to navigate the CHNA process.

Blue & Co. is ready to assist your organization in navigating the community health needs assessment process. The CHNA will allow your organization to adapt initiatives that are driven by population health. Blue & Co.’s Hospital & Physician Operations team has worked with clients to stay within the guidelines of the CHNA process, in order to facilitate government approval.

Within the CHNA process, our team can provide a start to finish solution that includes, but is not limited to:

• Stakeholder meetings
• Community focus groups
• Surveys
• Interviews with community leaders
• Population health and other health-related data
• Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) Analysis
• Completed Documentation to be posted on your website
• Implementation Plan

We’ll help to facilitate key conversations and assist in getting your organization pointed in the right direction for your Community Health Needs Assessment. In addition, we stand ready to assist your organization’s leadership team in identifying its organizational strategic needs.

If you need help with your CHNA, please contact Brandon Bond or your local Blue & Co. Advisor.

Brandon Bond, Senior Consultant 
317.275.7427 | bbond@blueandco.com

Tony Javorka, Director 
317.275.7443 | tjavorka@blueandco.com