Kids Count on Us

We live our mission to serve all children, regardless of their ability to pay.

As a not-for-profit hospital, we know that status comes with a price; the price is that we must always do what is in the best interest of the patients and the community.

Dayton Children's serves as the region's safety net hospital for the most critically ill and financially vulnerable infants, children and teens. We are the largest provider of medical care to low-income children in our region.

Families in the region face many challenges that may include job loss, a devastating medical diagnosis or the break-up of a family. These challenges can affect any family at any time, and the children in these families may feel the effects most profoundly.

Medicaid is the nation’s largest public provider of health insurance to low-income families and children. Nationally, children’s hospitals provide 44 percent of care to children on Medicaid. At Dayton Children’s, we serve a disproportionate share of children from low-income families.

Currently 50 percent of the patients at Dayton Children’s are covered by Medicaid.

Children insured by Medicaid typically require extra care than other patients. However, Medicaid only reimburses Dayton Children’s roughly 68 cents on the dollar of costs requiring us to subsidize the care of many underinsured or uninsured children.

We report the unpaid costs of Medicaid programs and the total benefits for the poor, reflecting the shortfall from government payment methods versus our actual costs to provide the care.

In fiscal year 2008-2009, we provided $24,270,911 in charity care. Of that, $23,542,312 was Medicaid shortfall.

Subsidized Health Services

To best care for children, Dayton Children’s provides many clinical programs despite financial lost because they meet an identified community health need. These specialty programs include pulmonary, endocrinology, hematology/oncology, gastroenterology, psychiatry, nephrology, urology, surgery, child abuse, neurology, developmental pediatrics, our specialty clinic and our Children’s Health Clinic.

By providing a full complement of pediatric subspecialties, children in our region have access to the comprehensive care they need without having to travel to a larger facility or community.

In fiscal year 2008-2009, Dayton Children's paid $7,406,691 to subsidize these health care services for children in our community.

Improving Access to Care

Dayton Children's is a leader in improving access to health insurance for children and families through its advocacy efforts. We have worked to expand children's coverage statewide and nationally. The hospital has provided critical resources and support to efforts to ensure that these gains are translated into actual coverage by enrolling uninsured children on-site.

Dayton Children's Health Clinic is a primary care provider for many of the region's infants, children and teens. Not only is Children's Health Clinic a "safety net" for many families, it is also a rich training setting for future pediatricians.