Serving the community remains the cornerstone of the mission for today’s hospitals. Some hospitals claim to fulfill this mission simply by keeping their doors open in service areas with an unfavorable payer mix (i.e., high concentrations of uninsured, under insured, and Medicaid certified recipients). Some develop additional programs and services for the residents of under served communities. An increasing number of these programs involve partnerships with community organizations. Still others explore more strategic approaches that emphasize building community capacity to improve health status and community quality of life.

The breadth and depth of "community benefit" activities undertaken by hospitals vary widely, but all hospitals devote substantial resources to fulfill their mission. That’s good, because communities need their hospitals, and not just for the delivery of acute medical services. There are more people looking at what may be the optimal role of non-profit hospitals in addressing health needs in local communities.