How important is philanthropy to children’s hospitals?
• Nearly all children’s hospitals are not-for-profit corporations, which draw their governing boards from all segments of their communities. Because children’s hospitals provide care to all children, regardless of ability to pay, philanthropic support plays an important role in children’s hospitals’ financing. Nearly 80 percent of children’s hospitals have a foundation dedicated to fundraising. Children’s hospitals seek and receive grants and donations from individuals, the federal government and private foundations. They depend on these funds to support the many programs and services not reimbursed by private or public health insurance. How are children’s hospitals ensuring quality care and patient safety for all children? Many of the best known national quality improvement initiatives currently underway exclude children or reflect only a portion of their health care needs. Children’s hospitals have addressed this gap by taking the lead in developing and implementing pediatric quality
