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Frequently Asked Questions
Click each question below for its answer:
Yes. St. Luke’s Health System and related subsidiary corporations are 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations and meet the ongoing compliance requirements under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Organizations described in section 501(c)(3) are commonly referred to as charitable organizations or not-for-profit organizations.
Not-for-profit organizations are highly regulated. Strict federal requirements govern both the structure and operation of 501(c)(3) entities, specifically; no part of the activities or the net earnings can benefit any single individual, director, or officer. In addition, all assets must be permanently dedicated to a charitable purpose.
This means no private gain.
Unlike a for-profit organization, no single individual or corporation makes a profit at St. Luke’s. All income above expenses is used to improve the health of people in the communities we serve.
St. Luke’s is governed by local volunteers, not corporate shareholders. Board members serve without pay but with a vested interest in maximizing the health of the communities where they live and work. We are the only Idaho-based, not-for-profit health system in the state, led by local people, offering local solutions, providing local control.
A not-for-profit corporation, generally speaking, reinvests in its mission and its community. It has one use for its margin: investment in programs and services, often for those who otherwise would be unable to afford them or have nowhere else to turn. Since not-for-profits don’t have shareholders, St. Luke’s is able to invest in people, new technology, programs to improve health and new services to meet the health care needs of the people we serve.
St. Luke’s was established in 1902 thanks to support from local community members and businesses. Charitable gifts from the valley’s first settlers to today have helped transform St. Luke’s from a six-bed frontier hospital to a national leader in cancer, heart and children’s care.
Ongoing support will determine what St. Luke’s grows into tomorrow.
Philanthropic funding is a catalyst for innovation and expansion. Breakthrough treatments, lifesaving equipment, new technology and state-of-the-art facilities — these are the extraordinary things that charitable giving makes possible for your community.
Gifts large and small, raised by civic organizations and student groups; donated by friends, employees and grateful patients; designated in memorials, estate and planned gifts — each and every gift is significant, and all make a meaningful difference in the health and lives of the people we serve each day.
Our hospitals were established through community partnership and philanthropy. By supporting St. Luke’s fundraising efforts, you support the needs of our patients today, help us prepare for tomorrow, and encourage future generations to do the same.
St. Luke’s spends its advertising dollars responsibly, and we spend considerably less on marketing-related activities than the national average reported by the American Hospital Association. That national average is 2 percent of total operating expenses, while St. Luke’s marketing budget is only 0.38 percent of total operating expenses.
The way health care is delivered continues to evolve. New technology, a shift to more outpatient delivery options, medical advancements impacting patients’ length of stay and the importance of convenience for patients in choosing where they receive their care are all influencing the type, size, and configuration of St. Luke’s facilities. To meet patient needs, St. Luke’s must continue to adjust and invest appropriate resources in its facilities.
Every investment St. Luke’s makes in building renovations, expansions and new facilities is made following a thoughtful process and considerable analysis by its leadership team and the Health System’s community-based boards of directors.
St. Luke’s is committed to forming productive working relationships with physicians. These relationships take many forms. St. Luke’s considers a number of factors when evaluating an employment relationship with a physician:
- Does it improve access to care for patients?
- Does it enhance patient care and improve quality?
- Does it create a more secure, supportive and productive environment for the physician to practice medicine?
- Does it comply with all necessary regulations and laws?
- Does it help to further St. Luke’s mission to improve the health of people in the communities we serve?