Physicians, employees, and volunteers of King's Daughters' Health are proud to help the organization meet its mission to improve the health of our patients through care, service, and education. Providing quality, efficient healthcare 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year is our most valuable contribution to the communities we serve.
At the same time, KDH provides a significant impact to the local economy. KDH is a major employer and purchaser of goods and services. Across the country, hospital are critical to the economic impact of local communities.
Ripple Effect
Consider both the direct impact on our local economy as well as the indirect or "ripple" effect of the dollars generated through KDH. Combined, these two measures generated an estimated 1,300 jobs and over $102 million dollars in payroll during the 2010 calendar year. Add in supply purchases and capital spending, and the total impact KDH made on the local economy was an estimated $153,230,000.
In 2010, King's Daughters' Health employed 800 healthcare professionals with a total payroll of $61,626,000. Many of these funds were reinvested into the local economy - creating and supporting other jobs. When calculated out, the dollars spent on groceries, clothing, mortgage payments, rent, etc. generated approximately $102,620,000 in economic activity.
Infrastructure
In 2010, KDH spent $2,997,000 on buildings and equipment. Additional capital spending accounted for $4,990,000 toward the local economy. In 2011, Wehr Constructors has employed an average of 170 persons per day at the new hospital site. Over a 52-week (one-year) period, that generates $41,017 in local tax revenue for Jefferson County. Indiana payroll taxes will total $175,385. Many of those workers eat at local restaurants and buy goods and services in the local community.
Purchases Services
KDH spends about $27,395,000 per year on the goods and services it needs to provide healthcare - medical supplies, electricity, food, etc. When these dollars are reinvested by other local businesses, the funds generate about $45,620,000 for the local economy.
Grants
In 2010 and 2011, KDH served as the local agency for two Indiana Tobacco Cessation Prevention grants that totaled $84,750. These funds provide education, counseling, and assistance to patients and individuals who want to quit tobacco use. Funds also support education and prevention programs in local schools.
Charity Care
In 2010, KDH provided $1,327,858 in direct charity care. Patients that receive charity care are not billed for services. Charity care is provided with no anticipation of payment. In tough times, our commitment to delivering care is increasingly important. From January through October of 2011, charity care totaled $1,137,528.
Unreimbursed Care
The federal government continues to reduce its Medicare and Medicaid payments to hospitals across the country. When treating Medicare patients, KDH receives only 76 percent of the cost of care, and about 37 percent for Medicaid patients. We combine these numbers as unreimbursed or uncompensated care. The numbers reflect the actual costs to KDH in terms of employee wages, supplies, etc. In 2010, our unreimbursed costs were $23,366,098. From January through October 2011, our unreimbursed care was $18,769,479.
EMS / Ambulance Services
Since October 1, 1985, KDH has been Jefferson County's 911 ambulance provider. The hospital was certified in advance life support in September 1988 and continues to serve Jefferson County today. This provides a significant savings to Jefferson County taxpayers, as the county is responsible for providing Emergency Medical Services. Since 1997, KDH has provided ambulance services without any financial assistance from the county. This alone has saved Jefferson County taxpayers $1.4 million dollars. Every year, the hospital absorbs an average operating loss of over $800,000 to provide ambulance coverage. The loss is the difference between the actual costs of staffing, ambulances, fuel, medication, and materials versus the amount of dollars received from care provided.