A Review of Tools to Assist Hospitals in Meeting Community Health Assessment and Implementation Strategy Requirements

Recent changes in U.S. national policies and regulations have created an opportunity for meaningful collaborations to take place between health systems, public health departments, and social service organizations. For medical systems, and particularly tax-exempt hospitals, new requirements include community health assessments (CHAs) and implementation strategies to address identified health needs. Individuals and groups responsible for meeting the new CHA and implementation strategy requirements may be unsure about the best ways to achieve specific aspects of the CHA process. In this report, we provide an in-depth review and rating of tools developed by public health and community experts that cover the steps necessary to meet the new requirements. A team of three community and public health experts and the authors developed a rating sheet based on a well-known community health improvement process model and on the steps in the new requirements to identify and systematically rate nine comprehensive tools. The ratings and recommendations provide a guide for hospitals in choosing tools that will best assist them in meeting the new requirements.