About Community Health Systems
Community Health Systems, Inc. operates as a healthcare company in the United States. The company’s affiliates are leading providers of healthcare services, developing and operating healthcare delivery systems in 40 distinct markets across 15 states. As of December 31, 2023, the company’s subsidiaries owned or leased 71 affiliated hospitals, with approximately 12,000 beds; and operated more than 1,000 sites of care, including physician practices, urgent care centers, freestanding emergency departments, occupational medicine clinics, imaging centers, cancer centers and ambulatory surgery centers. The company generates revenues by providing a broad range of general and specialized hospital healthcare services and outpatient services to patients in the communities in which the company is located. For the hospitals that the company owns and operates, it is paid for the company’s services by governmental agencies, private insurers and directly by the patients the company serves. Services provided through the company’s hospitals and outpatient facilities include general acute care, emergency room, general and specialty surgery, critical care, internal medicine, obstetrics, diagnostic, psychiatric and rehabilitation services. An integral part of providing these services is the company’s network of affiliated physicians at its hospitals and affiliated businesses. As of December 31, 2023, the company employed approximately 1,500 physicians and an additional 1,100 licensed healthcare practitioners. Through the company’s management and operation of these businesses, the company provides standardization and centralization of operations across key business areas; strategic assistance to expand and improve services and facilities; implementation of patient safety and quality of care improvement programs and assistance in the recruitment of additional physicians and licensed healthcare practitioners to the markets in which the company’s hospitals are located. In a number of the company’s markets, the company has partnered with local physicians, for-profit entities and/or not-for-profit providers in the ownership of the company’s facilities. Business Strategy The key elements of the company’s business strategy are to become a market leader and increase market share in the communities the company serve; increase productivity; and continuously improve patient safety and quality of care. In addition, as an organization, the company have implemented a number of strategic initiatives designed to improve market position, expand services to the company’s patients, and capture a greater share of healthcare spending in the company’s markets. These include strengthening regional networks and local market operations; expanding patient access points, health services and infrastructure; recruiting and/or employing additional primary care physicians and specialists; and developing a more consumer-centric experience and facilitating connections between episodes of care. Government Regulation Most of the company’s hospitals are accredited by The Joint Commission. Although the company strives to comply with the Anti-Kickback Statute, taking into account available guidance, including the ‘safe harbor’ regulations, the company cannot assure you that regulatory authorities will not determine otherwise. Of critical importance to the company is the potential impact of any changes specific to the Medicaid program, including the funding and expansion provisions of the Affordable Care Act and subsequent legislation or agency initiatives. Many states in which the company operates have also adopted laws that prohibit payments to physicians in exchange for referrals, similar to the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, or that otherwise prohibit fraud and abuse activities. As of December 31, 2023, the company operated 53 hospitals in 11 states that have adopted CON (certificate of need) laws. The company is also subject to any federal or state privacy-related laws that are more restrictive than the privacy regulations issued under HIPAA or that apply to other types of information. The company has developed and utilizes an information privacy and security compliance plan as part of the company’s effort to comply with HIPAA and other federal and state privacy and security requirements. Supply Contracts The company purchases items, primarily medical supplies, medical equipment and pharmaceuticals, under an agreement with HealthTrust, a GPO in which the company is a noncontrolling partner. The current term of this agreement expires in December 2024, with automatic renewal terms of one year unless either party terminates by giving notice of non-renewal. As of December 31, 2023, the company had a 12.6% ownership interest in HealthTrust. History Community Health Systems, Inc. was incorporated in 1996.
