A Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) is a vital tool for hospitals, healthcare organizations and community stakeholders to evaluate and address the health needs of their populations. This guide provides a comprehensive overview of the CHNA, including its purpose, requirements, data analysis and examples.  What is a Community Health Needs Assessment?  A CHNA is a systematic process that identifies key health issues and needs within a community. It serves as a foundation for healthcare providers and policymakers to make informed decisions that improve health outcomes. Learn more about the fundamentals of a CHNA in our detailed guide: What is a Community Health Needs Assessment? .  The purpose of a Community Health Needs Assessment   The purpose of a CHNA is to:  Identify significant health issues  Determine prevalent health conditions affecting the community.  Recognize disparities in healthcare access and outcomes.  Highlight social determin...

As healthcare providers, understanding the specific health needs of the communities we serve has never been more important. A comprehensive Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) is an invaluable tool that enables healthcare organizations to evaluate the health priorities of a region, make data-driven decisions and ultimately offer more effective, equitable care.  What is a Community Health Needs Assessment?  A CHNA is a structured process in which healthcare organizations collect and analyze information about community health status, resources and needs. It’s an essential step for any healthcare provider committed to delivering patient-centered care that addresses acute and chronic health conditions and proactively supports community wellness. Learn how to get started with a CHNA , or check out our more recent  essential Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) guide.   The value of a comprehensive approach  Unlike basic health assessments, a comprehensi...

Include integral data in your Community Health Needs Assessment examples  Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) examples tend to focus on case studies. However, using integral data for your CHNA can provide overall guidance, making it easier to start and complete your final report. In this Q&A, DataGen’s Melissa Bauer, principal healthcare informatics analyst, explains why using data in the CHNA is key and what types of data you should collect.   Q1: What is CHNA data?   A CHNA requires two types of data: primary and secondary. Using these two data streams, organizations can better characterize the community's health. This helps the organization conducting the CHNA best understand their community needs. It also informs them on the best ways to respond to them, providing guidance on where to start and how to evaluate impact and outcomes. Here’s a further explanation of the data found in a CHNA:  Primary data includes community surveys, focus groups, in-dep...

Hospitals typically conduct a  Community Health Needs Assessment  to comply with state requirements or to maintain 501(c)3 status. However, emerging trends around health outcomes and health equity have sparked organizations to update and better align their CHNA processes toward highlighting community needs, equity, population health concerns, service access, affordability and quality. In a research study,  The National Library of Medicine  found that "Social determinants of health impact 80% of health outcomes from acute to chronic disorders, and attempts are underway to provide these data elements to clinicians." Because of the short- and  long-term effects of SDOHs , it's important that hospitals assess community needs. This way, they can find solutions to improve quality of life, identify underserved populations and establish connections with the community. What can your organization do to revamp its CHNA process to focus on community needs, equity, care acce...

Z codes that document patients' non-medical needs are rarely used and often misunderstood. Yet they’re vital to address social determinants of health, which are responsible for 80% of a person's health outcomes. New developments make it easier to incorporate Z codes into an organization’s health equity strategy. These include patient e-screening, leveraging an enhanced Community Health Needs Assessment, use of robust social risk intelligence data and new efficiencies that capture insights from these sources and make them actionable. By using a combination of "push and pull" strategies, health systems can start these efforts now. But first, a brief introduction to Z codes and why they’re important. What are Z codes and why are they important? Z codes are a subset of ICD-10-CM diagnostic codes to document a person's SDOH, defined by Healthy People 2030 as "the conditions in the environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship and age that a...