Reading Health System

“The form 990 is prepared by hospital staff,reviewed by an external tax advisor and posted on a website for board members prior to filing. Members are alerted to information and notices. A copy of the 990 is mailed to any board member unable to view this site.”

“It shall be the policy of the hospital to require each board member, officer and key employee to submit in writing to the chief executive officer a list of business or other organizations of which the member, member's spouse, a descendant, or a spouce of a descendant is an officer, director, member employee or owner (35% or greater share) with which the company might reasonably enter into a relationship or a transaction in which the board member, officer and key employee would have conflicting interests. Each year a copy of the written statement will be sent to the board member for updating and resubmission and by which the board member, officer and key employee shall confirm his or her awareness of this policy.”

“Tower health's board of directors has duly appointed an executive compensation committee (the "committee"), which is responsible for the review and approval of all compensation and benefits provided to the hospital's executive management. The committee has adopted a written executive compensation philosophy statement and an executive compensation committee charter governing the work and review process of the committee. The committee follows the procedures described in the philosophy statement and the charter when it reviews and approves the compensation and employee benefits provided to the hospital's senior management, including the chief executive officer and the chief financial officer. The committee's review analyzes every element of compensation, including current and deferred compensation, and benefits, including qualified and non-qualified benefits. The committee conducts its review and approval process at least annually, and approves compensation and benefits only to the extent that the committee has concluded that the compensation and benefits constitute no more than reasonable compensation for each executive. The committee consists entirely of disinterested members of the board, and the committee works with an independent compensation consultant to prepare and review in advance comprehensive data showing the compensation provided by similarly situated organizations for functionally similar positions. The committee also prepares a timely and thorough written record of its deliberations and conclusions. As a result, the committee's review process is designed to satisfy the procedural criteria necessary to qualify for the rebuttable presumption of reasonableness under the federal income tax law intermediate sanctions rules.”

“Same response as line 15a.”

“The organization does not make its governing documents, conflicts of interest policy and financial statements available to the public.”

“The mission of tower health is to provide compassionate, accessible, high quality, cost effective healthcare to the community; to promote health; to educate healthcare professionals; and to participate in appropriate clinical research. Tower health (parent) is a non-profit healthcare system that provides charitable community-based healthcare services and programs to improve the health and well-being of the people and the communities it serves in the greater berks, montgomery and chester areas through its subsidiaries (see form 990, schedule r). Subsidiaries include but are not limited to brandywine hospital, chestnut hill hospital, jennersville, hospital, phoenixville hospital, and pottstown hospital, the five of which are held in single member llcs that tower health is the sole member of. As a result, these are treated as disregarded entities and all of their income and activities are reported on tower health's form 990. Brandywine hospital: brandywine hospital's community wellness department supports the hospital's community engagement and community benefit endeavors. The department's mission is three pronged and seeks to lead, partner, and invest in strategic health initiatives that target the underserved and address health disparities and social determinants of health. The community wellness department also manages the community health needs assessment and implementation process. Brandywine hospital's most recent community health needs assessment and implementation plan was completed in 2019 and identified and prioritized four areas of focus: access to healthcare, social determinants of health, disease prevention and management and access to behavioral health services. Throughout the 2021 fiscal year, the hospital worked to develop and implement strategies to address these priority areas. Access to healthcare: one strategy identified to help improve access to healthcare services was to increase cultural awareness. Hospital staff participated in cultural awareness trainings to learn about how patients with diverse cultures, beliefs, lifestyles, and values experience and perceive healthcare. A diversity and inclusion council was also established to identify and educate staff on topics of interest. The goal of both programs is to increase awareness that contributes to high-quality, patient-centered healthcare. The tower access project, a system initiative, was executed and created a centralized and coordinated advanced access center which is now the single point of contact for community members to find providers, schedule appointments, and access information. Tower health rolled out a telemedicine platform that allowed patients to access primary care services during covid. For fy2021, there were 2,344 primary care telemedicine visits with tower health medical group primary care physicians within the brandywine hospital service area. Brandywine hospital also launched a telepsych platform in november, 2020 that allowed for psychiatric consults at other tower hospitals. Since the launch of the platform, 326 telepsych consults have been conducted between jennersville hospital, phoenixville hospital, and area nursing homes. As telemedicine took hold in fy2021, brandywine hospital developed a technology workshop for seniors in order to help them feel more comfortable using online platforms for doctor visits, accessing medical records, and socializing with family to reduce feelings of isolation. Participants reported a 25% increase in knowledge after attending. Brandywine hospital participates as a provider for mdsave, which allows participants to access high quality reliable care at more affordable prices. As a long-term strategy to improve access, brandywine hospital provides educational opportunities for students considering a career in healthcare. In fy2021, brandywine hospital hosted 103 clinical nursing students from lincoln university, immaculata university, wilkes university, widener university, west chester university and v”

“Board members without compensation are volunteers.”

“To address food insecurity, pottstown hospital developed a 100% subsidized community supported agriculture (csa) program called youth grow csa. This program is implemented in partnership with greenallies, a local non-profit organization focused on sustainability and environmental education. This program operates a one-acre farm in pottstown, pa and provided over 2,000 lbs. Of organic produce to 25 low-income families during fy2021. This impacted over 100 individuals. Another program that was developed to address food insecurity is the community fridge. The new community fridge is located on high st. In the center of pottstown borough. It is open 24/7 and is stocked with fresh produce, ready to eat meals, snacks, water, and essential items like eggs and bread. Community members are able to "take what they need and leave what they don't". In addition, the hospital developed a new community garden onsite at the hospital that provides fresh herbs. Herbs are a simple way to add healthy flavor to recipes, and yet the cost of herbs is a barrier to our community. This new herb garden promotes healthy eating through educational opportunities as well. Pottstown hospital participates in the community connection project (ccp), which implements the center for medicare and medicaid's accountable health communities (ahc) model. Through the program, eligible medicare and medicaid patients are screened for health-related social needs in the areas of food, housing, utilities, transportation, and safety. Patients are then risk-stratified based on needs and number of emergency department visits. All patients who screen positive for social needs are provided a community referral summary that provides information on resources available in the community to help address their unmet needs. High-risk patients (1 or more social needs and 2 or more ed visits) are also offered one-year of navigation services, in which a navigator creates closed-loop referrals to community organizations. The goal of the program is to test whether systematically identifying and addressing health-related social needs of this population impacts health quality. In fy2021, over 829 screenings were completed and over 190 navigation cases were opened. This program is fully funded through a cms grant. Disease prevention and management: in an effort to address chronic disease prevention and management, pottstown hospital has implemented a number of initiatives throughout its primary service area. Pottstown hospital designed a new program called medicine on the move. Medicine on the move is a walk and talk style program aimed at providing disease prevention and education. The group meets at a local park to learn about a specific health topic. All participants receive a free pedometer to encourage continuous physical activity. Following the education, participants take a walk around the park and can continue to engage with the provider and ask any questions they might have. Following the walk, participants receive a healthy snack. There were five medicine on the move events in fy21 featuring the following disease prevention topics: diabetes and hypertension, stroke, physical activity, nutrition, and diverticulitis. There was an increased focus on cancer screenings and cancer education that specifically targeted vulnerable populations. Free screening events were held throughout the year to address this health disparity. These events were conducted in partnership with the local federally qualified health center (fqhc) to specifically screen individuals without health insurance. Through these events, 9 breast cancer screenings and 11 skin cancer screenings were conducted. In addition, pottstown hospital enrolled in a new research study aiming to return lung cancer screening rates to pre- pandemic rates. With covid-19, our hospital noticed a significant decrease in lung cancer screenings. To combat this, the hospital began a targeted effort to educate providers, community partners, and t”

“Er/nursing inpaitent & outpatient program: brandywine hospital brandywine hospital emergency department provides emergency, urgent and primary care services to the community "24/7/365", regardless of ability to pay. Brandywine hospital also provides immediate access through its emergency department to all specialty services. Emergency room visits for fy21 were 21,462. Brandywine hospital inpatient units includes medical surgical, telemetry and intensive care units that provide acute in-patient services including support services such as laboratory, pharmacy, physical therapy, respiratory therapy, and radiology. Total patient days for fy21 were 17,658. The behavioral health unit at brandywine hospital provides 24-hour supervision, treatment, stabilization and placement for adults and older adults coping with a variety of issues, focusing on returning the individual to the highest level of functioning possible. The inpatient eating disorders program provides an individualized treatment plan, group and individual therapy and psychiatric care for individuals ages 13 and older. Total patient days for fy21 were 16,830. Chestnut hill hospital: chestnut hill hospital emergency department provides emergency, urgent and primary care services to the community "24/7/365", regardless of ability to pay. Chh provides immediate access through its emergency department to all specialty areas. Chh remains committed to their goal of seeing patients in 30 minutes or less. Emergency room visits for fy21 were 35,246. Chestnut hill hospital inpatient units include medical surgical, telemetry and intensive care units that provide acute in-patient services such as laboratory, pharmacy, physical therapy, respiratory therapy, and radiology. Total patient days for fy21 were 30,408. The behavioral health unit at chestnut hill hospital provides 24 hour supervision, treatment, stabilization and placement for adults and older adults coping with a variety of issues, focusing on returning the individual to the highest level of functioning possible. Total patient days for fy21 were 5,019. Jennersville hospital: jennersville hospital emergency department provides emergency, urgent and primary care services to the community "24/7/365", regardless of ability to pay. Jennersville hospital also provides immediate access through its emergency department to all specialty services. Emergency room visits for fy21 were 12,741. Jennersville hospital inpatient units include medical surgical, telemetry and intensive care units that provide acute in-patient services such as laboratory, pharmacy, physical therapy, respiratory therapy, and radiology. Total patient days for fy21 were 8,268. Phoenixville hospital: phoenixville hospital emergency department provides emergency, urgent and primary care services to the community "24/7/365" regardless of ability to pay. Phoenixville hospital also provides immediate access through its emergency department to all specialty services, from surgeons to all areas of specialty care. Phoenixville hospital had "24/7/365" on-call consultants for pediatric emergency cases through st. Christopher's hospital for children. Local ems providers rely on phoenixville hospital for on-going medical education. Emergency room visits for fy21 were 20,311. Phoenixville hospital inpatient units include medical surgical, telemetry and intensive care units, labor and deliver, rehabilitation, nursery and nicu. They provide inpatient acute services including support such as laboratory, pharmacy, physical therapy and radiology. Total patient days were 35,008. Pottstown hospital: pottstown hospital emergency department provides emergency, urgent and primary care services 24/7/365 to the community. The emergency department serves patients from berks, montgomery and chester counties. The pottstown hospital emergency department is the second busiest emergency department in montgomery county. There is a full complement of specialty services provided at the local and/or”

“Operating room services: brandywine hospital: brandywine hospital's surgical service line care for both inpatient and outpatient in need of surgical procedures including but not limited to the following specialties: ent, gastroenterological, gynecologic, ophthalmology, urologic, vascular and general surgery. Total procedures for fy21 were 2,698. Chestnut hill hospital: chestnut hill hospital's surgical department provides surgical services to our community in both an inpatient and outpatient setting. Services include: bariatrics, ent, gastroenterology, gynecology, orthopedics, pain management, plastics, podiatry, pulmonology, thoracic, urology, vascular, and general surgery. Total procedures for fy21 were 5,086. Jennersville hospital: jennersville hospital's surgical service department cares for both inpatient and outpatient in need of surgical procedures including but not limited to the following specialties: ent, gastroenterological, gynecologic, ophthalmology, urologic, vascular and general surgery. Total procedures for fy21 were 2,898. Phoenixville hospital: phoenixville hospital's surgical department provides surgical services to the community in both an inpatient and outpatient setting. These services include: cariology, cardio, thoracis, ent, orthopedics, gynecology, obstetrics, urology, pain management, plastic, podiatry, neuro and general surgery. Total procedures for fy21 were 8,392. Pottstown hospital: pottstown hospital's surgical services department provides emergent, urgent and elective surgeries to the community on an inpatient and outpatient basis. Emergency cases can be done 24/7/365 and patients needing a higher level of care can be transferred to tertiary centers in the area. Pottstown hospital offers, orthopedic, vascular, spine, ent, maxofacial, plastic, ob/gyn, ophthalmologic, urologic, podiatric and general surgery. Total procedures for fy21 were 6,122.”

“Radiology/imaging program: brandywine hospital: brandywine hospital radiology department provides imaging services to the community in both an inpatient and outpatient setting in two locations. These services include but are not limited to pet scans, ultrasounds, ct scans, mris, nuclear medicine, interventional radiology and mammograms. Total procedures for fy21 were 40,932. Chestnut hill hospital: chestnut hill hospital radiology department provides imaging services to the community in both an inpatient and outpatient setting. These services include but are not limited to pet scans, ultrasounds, cat scans, mris, nuclear medicine, interventional radiology, and mammograms. Chestnut hill hospital provides free screenings throughout the community and offers financial assistance for mammograms via funds received at local charitable events hosted/sponsored by chestnut hill hospital. Total procedures for fy21 were 83,882. Jennersville hospital: jennersviile hospital radiology department provides imaging services to the community in both an inpatient and outpatient setting in two locations. These services include but are not limited to pet scans, ultrasounds, ct scans, mris, nuclear medicine, interventional radiology and mammograms. Total procedures for fy21 were 24,677. Phoenixville hospital: phoenixville hospital radiology department provides imaging services to the community in both an inpatient and outpatient setting in two locations. These services include but are not limited to pet scans, ultrasounds, ct scans, mris, nuclear medicine, interventional radiology and mammograms. Phoenixville hospital offers free mammograms to the underinsured and uninsured patients. Total procedures for fy21 were 73,815. Pottstown hospital: pottstown hospital radiology department provides imaging services to the community in both an inpatient and outpatient setting in two locations. These services include but are not limited to pet scans, ultrasounds, ct scans, mris, nuclear medicine, interventional radiology and mammograms. Total procedures for fy21 were 78,036.”

“Expenses incurred in providing various other medically necessary healthcare services to all individuals in a non-discriminatory manner regardless of race, color, creed, sex, national origin, or ability to pay. Services include but are not limited to: brandywine hospital: brandywine hospital provides outpatient services for laboratory, radiology, wound care, sleep and respiratory/pt/ot/speech therapy patients. We also provide outpatient infusion services to oncology patients in the community. Total outpatient visits for fy21 were 76,624. Brandywine hospital provides pharmacy support to all inpatients with their pharmaceutical needs. Chestnut hill hospital: chestnut hill hospital provides a full range of outpatient, diagnostic and treatment services for people in northwest philadelphia and eastern montgomery county. Other than imaging, chestnut hill hospital's areas of focus for outpatients are women's services, rehabilitation services and sleep care. Total outpatient visits for fy21 were 105,536. Oncology and hematology services at chestnut hill hospital include comprehensive cancer services in caring in a caring and compassionate setting. We provide hope with proven cancer treatments. Our cancer services include financial counseling and an online patient portal at the practice to improve patient access and communication. Free community lectures on cancer screenings are provided during the year. Total procedures in fy21 were 259. Chestnut hill hospital provides pharmacy support to all inpatient with their pharmaceutical needs. Jennersville hospital: jennersville hospital provides outpatient services for laboratory, radiology, wound care, sleep and respiratory/pt/ot/speech therapy patients. We also provide outpatient infusion services to oncology patients in the community. Total outpatient procedures for fy21 were 124,665. Jennersville hospital provides pharmacy support to all inpatients with their pharmaceutical needs. Phoenixville hospital: phoenixville hospital provides outpatient services for laboratory, radiology patients and dialysis patients. Cancer center patients receive outpatient services based on their treatment plan. Cardio-pulmonary patients utilize the 1st floor rehabilitation gym for prescribed and monitored outpatient exercise. Total procedures for fy21 were 319,890. Phoenixville hospital oncology services department provides medical oncology and radiation therapy services to the community. We provide charity services to our service area who meet our charity policy guidelines. Targeted therapies in our recently renovated infusion suite selectively affect only the cells related to a particular cancer, causing less damage and fewer side effects to surrounding non-cancerous cells and body systems than traditional chemotherapy drugs. Phoenixville hospital actively participates in a number of preventive and treatment clinical trials through the cancer trial support unit (ctsu). Total procedures for fy21 were 11,333. Phoenixville hospital provides pharmacy support to all inpatients and cancer center patients with their pharmaceutical needs. The new state-of- the-art pharmacy opened in 2020. Pottstown hospital: pottstown hospital provides outpatient services for laboratory, radiology, wound care, and pt/ot/speech therapy patients. Total procedures for fy21 were 321,049. Pottstown hospital cancer center provides inpatient, outpatient and infusion services to oncology patients in the community. The pottstown hospital cancer center offers a robust service line inclusive of medical and radiation oncology with rapid arc technology with linear accelerator and cyberknife capabilities. The pottstown hospital cancer center is a five-time recipient of the american college of surgeons council on cancer outstanding achievement award. There are only 4 cancer centers in the united states who have achieved this distinction. Pottstown hospital actively participates in a number of preventive and treatment clinical trials through the ca”

“Outside serv/other fees 11,968,847 0 0 outside serv/other fees 0 6,694,802 0 physican fees/other 14,324,387 0 0 physician fees/other 12,565,836 0 0 physician fees/other 9,467,865 0 0 physician fees/other 37,251,630 342,337 0 total 85,578,565 7,037,139 0”

“Unrestricted net assets 106,713,225 intercompany asset transfer 10,113,815 income tax expense 511,543 building impairment -319,663,567 other assets -62,441 total -202,387,425”