Where We Stand
Section: Health Care Planning
Subsection: Health Care Planning

Health Care Planning

1. Health planning should be the primary function of a collaborative group of community organizations and interested individuals. While a variety of structural modalities may be considered to implement this function, the most common is the creation of an eleemosynary (charitable) organization by the community to be served. However structured and financed, this "health planning organization" should be created by the mandate of the community to address health needs and priorities in a structured fashion and should be legally incorporated to perform this function.
2. The planning organization must be representative of the community and have the active support and participation of the community to be served, including but not limited to, physicians. The proper mix of the participants should be determined by the community served and should be responsive to the needs of the community.
3. As an entity representing the community at large, the planning organization should exhibit the following characteristics: thoroughness, objectivity, integrity, sensitivity to the interests of the community, understanding of health care delivery systems and financing, and accountability to the community served.
4. The planning organization should assume an active, positive role in assessing community health and medical needs and should serve as the community's advocate in meeting those needs. The recommendations of the organization should be advisory and the responsibility for implementing those recommendations should rest with the institutions and entities most directly involved.
5. The organization should serve in an informational and educational role to the community-at-large on such issues as community health status, health care financing, health care costs and the availability of local health resources. Periodic reports should be provided to the community on these and other significant health care issues.
6. The size and scope of the geographic area to be served is best determined by the community residents, based on an analysis of such factors as population density, service area of health care institutions and practitioners, geographic and transportation considerations and should not be arbitrarily defined by existing political boundaries. Regional considerations involving two or more such local planning areas may best be coordinated through a consortium of the local planning organizations as appropriate.
7. The planning organization should function under a constitution and bylaws which, at a minimum, set forth: (a) the major objectives of the organization; (b) a locally accepted process for the election, selection and/or appointment of members to the governing body; (c) a mechanism to preserve accountability to the community-at-large for the recommendations and actions of the organization, recognizing the accepted principles of confidentiality; and (d) a mechanism for ongoing evaluation of all aspects of the organization's service to the community
8. Decisions regarding the employment of professional consultants and/or staff are properly those of the governing body of the local organization based on the scope of its activities and financial viability.
9. There should be a substantial commitment from the community-at-large to supporting and financing the operation of the planning organization. This commitment may be expressed through donations of public funds, private funds or general solicitation. Donations of time and expertise may be quite substantive and should be recognized equivalently as community contributions.
10. Government may provide supplemental funding in support of local health planning activities directed toward meeting locally determined goals and objectives. Such supplemental financial assistance from government sources should not be accepted without careful consideration of the obligations which may accompany it and a commitment to achieve sufficiency as early as possible.
11. The planning organization should encourage and promote the development of positive incentives to attain the objectives identified by the community and should not have regulatory authority or responsibilities.
12. The protection of the public welfare is properly a concern of government and activities to protect the public may be implemented in a variety of ways. However, local voluntary health planning is a creative process, and therefore should not include the use of regulatory sanctions.

Exemption from the anti-trust laws should be sought for actions taken to implement recommendations of the planning organization, in furtherance of the objectives identified and approved by the community during the planning process.