BayCare's Community Benefit Spend Grew in 2023

BayCare has released its 2023 Report to the Community, showcasing how a growing, nationally recognized, not-for-profit health care system dedicated to its communities also benefits those communities. 

BayCare’s operating revenues grew to $5.5 billion in 2023, up from $5.1 billion a year before. That enabled the health system to increase its Community Benefit spending by $65 million to $557 million in 2023, spending roughly 10% of its revenue on charity care, subsidizing the underinsured and on community services.  

BayCare’s annual report also provides a look inside the 16-hospital health system’s growth in 2023, with stories about community outreach, patient care, workplace training and benefit programs, new facilities and recognition for clinical excellence and safety. 

“BayCare is known for providing high-quality, compassionate care, and in 2023, we continued to grow in a smart and thoughtful manner,” said BayCare President and CEO Stephanie Conners. “We are ensuring our growth translates into better access, innovative treatments and comprehensive support services for our patients. This report is a testament to our team’s dedication and to the trust our community places in BayCare.” 

BayCare continued its tradition of clinical excellence, and in the fall of 2023, all 11 of BayCare’s eligible acute-care hospitals received “A” grades on patient safety from the nonprofit Leapfrog Group. In addition, BayCare earned 12 Press Ganey Human Experience Awards for extraordinary patient experience based on patient surveys. Through participation in 450 health research projects, including 250 clinical trials, BayCare provided patients access to potentially cutting-edge treatments close to home.  

In addition to providing health care for more uninsured or underinsured patients in 2023, BayCare invested significant Community Benefit resources to address food insecurity and behavioral health, two of the greatest areas of need defined by the Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) surveys in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco and Polk counties in 2022. In 2023, BayCare supported 42 school-based food pantries and opened two new food clinics in partnership with Feeding Tampa Bay. BayCare hospitals distributed more than 14,348 Healing Bags to patients reporting food insecurity, providing each patient a two-to three-day supply of nonperishable food and information about additional community resources. 

Named a top employer by Great Place to Work® and Fortune magazine and the Tampa Bay Times as well as one of 100 PEOPLE Companies that Care®, BayCare supported its growing workforce of nearly 32,000 team members in 2023, investing more than $766 million in benefits, career development, and rewards and recognition. “We have some of the best programs nationally,” said Chief Team Resources Officer Kyle Barr.  

In 2023, BayCare opened BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel while continuing construction on the replacement South Florida Baptist Hospital in Plant City, which will open later this year. Across the health care system, BayCare grew to meet health care needs in the region by expanding outpatient imaging locations, adding labor and delivery rooms, opening a first-of-its-kind hospital Unit for Psychiatry and Medical Services (UPM) at St. Joseph’s Hospital-North, and joining forces with two medical practices to improve patient access to care.  

An expansive health care network with one of the largest medical groups in the region, BayCare generates $10 billion annually in economic impact in Florida. With a contribution to Florida’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $5.4 billion, BayCare’s operations provided nearly $1.2 billion in revenues to federal, state and local governments in 2022, according to a Washington Economics Group study.  

BayCare’s 2023 Report to the Community covers activity from Jan. 1, 2023, to Dec. 31, 2023. The full report is available online at baycare.org/annual-report.