Legislative Visits:
The Cornerstone of
Effective Advocacy
The Illinois Hospital Association
A Hospital/Health System Guide
for Effective Onsite Legislative Visits
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Winter 2014-15
The Importance of Legislative Visits
With a newly-elected Governor and General Assembly taking office in January, the Illinois Hospital Association (IHA)
strongly encourages all members to invite their legislators to visit their hospitals in order to build strong, mutuallybeneficial relationships with them. Given the state’s continuing fiscal difficulties, the Spring 2015 session of the General
Assembly will be challenging.
IHA will continue working with the state’s leaders – with particular emphasis on building relationships with Governorelect Rauner and his team – to find and implement workable solutions that provide critical support to Medicaid and
health care. We will continue to emphasize the importance of the state investing in health care to ensure access to care
for all Illinoisans, and to support hospitals and health systems as they transform the delivery of health care across the
state.
Given the state’s continuing fiscal difficulties, it is of vital importance to find and implement workable solutions that
provide critical support to Medicaid and health care. We must emphasize the importance of the state investing in health
care to ensure access to care for all Illinoisans, and to support hospitals and health systems as they transform the
delivery of health care across the state in line with the Triple Aim of providing better health care, enhancing the patient
experience and lowering health care costs.
A hospital visit is an exceptional opportunity to network with the state’s policymakers, since the most
successful advocacy is done at the local level. It’s important for them to see in person the sophisticated, high
quality technology and health care services you offer, meet your dedicated team, and also see firsthand the
challenges and barriers faced in serving their constituents, as well as the opportunities for transformation and
change. This is an excellent way to personally educate legislators on complex issues facing your hospital and
the community in their district that you serve. [NOTE: After a visit, it is especially important for IHA’s advocacy
efforts on your behalf that you fill out and fax back the Legislative Visit Feedback Sheet – page 8.]
The goals are twofold: (1) to get legislators to care about hospital issues; and (2) to encourage legislators to
view hospital leaders as reliable, trusted experts on health care issues. Health care issues are highly
complex, and when issues affecting hospitals arise in the General Assembly, we want the legislators in your
district to be able say, “Here’s what hospital leaders in my district think about that issue, and here’s how
they are impacted.”
Legislators need to know that hospitals and health care providers are central to all health care issue discussions, and
that in every community fortunate enough to have one, the local hospital is:
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A cornerstone of the community, providing top-quality health care services;
A stable, major employer, providing jobs to hundreds, maybe thousands, of the legislator’s constituents; and
A strong economic engine.
Illinois hospitals are one of the top employers in Illinois, employing - directly and indirectly - nearly half a
million people statewide. Illinois hospitals care for millions of patients each year, and directly impact every
person in the state.
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The following documents can help you schedule and conduct an onsite legislative visit:
 Sample visit agenda;
 Tips for a successful visit;
 Hospital fact sheet template;
 Sample invitation and follow-up letters;
 Sample article or news release; and
 Post-visit feedback form.
IHA’s positions and solutions on current health care issues legislators are available on the IHA website at
www.ihatoday.org. It is vitally important to continue to advocate for sound health care policy development.
IHA continues to work collaboratively with state leaders and policy makers regarding Medicaid, care
coordination, payment reform and other issues, but we know that hostile proposals harmful to hospitals may
be introduced at any time.
Showcase Your Hospital
It is important to highlight the positive impact your hospital has made through initiatives such as
implementation of the Nurse Staffing by Patient Acuity Law (e.g., creation or modification of nursing
committees, staffing adjustments made due to feedback of direct care staff, etc.); and to share with your
elected officials your hospital’s charity care policy, care to the poor and underserved and the positive impact
your facility plays in the community. Discuss how you understand the dire fiscal situation that the state is
facing. Be bold by initiating discussions about the integral role your hospital provides in your community and
your strong commitment to improving not just patient care and safety but community health and overall
wellness.
Illinois cannot be a strong state – and have a competitive economy – without a strong health care delivery system led by
our world class hospitals and health systems. That is why it is vitally important for the state to invest in a health care
system that provides quality health care to all of its residents and serves as an economic anchor and job creator across
the state.
The primary message is to tell your legislator how the wrong decisions made in Springfield will have long range
negative implications for your community in terms of access to care, jobs and the local economy. IHA is here
to support you every step of the way. We look forward to working with you as you build and strengthen your
relationships with your elected officials.
Helpful Tips
 Give your legislator a hands-on, personalized experience.
 Don’t hesitate to ask him/her to wear a mask, wash hands or don a lab coat.
 Link his/her experience to your focus on patient care and serving the
community.
 Focus on your role as a top employer and cornerstone of the community.
 Emphasize the dramatic changes in health care that are underway.
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Sample Visit Agenda
Based on a three-hour timeframe. Be flexible and adjust based on legislator’s availability.
10:00 AM: Welcome and Introductions (Hospital CEO) (15 minutes)
 Meet in hospital lobby or a conference room near the starting point for the hospital tour.
10:15 AM: Hospital Tour (60 minutes)
 Invite COO, CNO and CMO (or other physician or executive leaders) to join the tour.
 Highlight unique services and areas that may be impacted by payment cuts or eliminated. Discuss what
your hospital does to reduce readmissions and hospital-acquired conditions as well as your
commitment to the Triple Aim. Introduce legislator(s) to as many people as possible.
 Provide a hospital fact sheet (see sample). Use the hospital-specific information that accompanied the
2014 Economic Impact Report for suggestions.
 Discuss expansion plans, new services and community outreach projects underway or ones tabled due
to the economic environment. Reference the federally-required Community Health Needs Assessment.
11:15 AM: Group Discussion of Pertinent Issues (45 minutes)
 Location: conference room or other quiet area near where lunch will be served.
 Suggested attendees and issues to discuss:
 CFO (Medicaid/state employee health payment delays; charity care; financial assistance
policies with feedback about the growth of patients applying for financial assistance due to the
economy; other financial issues);
 CMO (programs to reduce unnecessary readmissions and hospital-acquired conditions; increase
quality and improve patient safety; patient satisfaction and staffing issues);
 CNO (changes addressed due to implementation of nurse staffing by acuity; workforce
shortages; and the need to allow health care professionals to work to their full capabilities as
authorized in their practice acts, i.e., APNs and PAs);
 Hospital board chair (community support, local issues); and
 CEO or government relations officer (pending legislative issues—contact IHA or see
www.ihatoday.org).
 Encourage attendees to be prepared to lead a 5-10 minute discussion on his or her portion of the
agenda. Background information is available at www.ihatoday.org.
 The CEO should conclude by discussing the hospital’s high-quality care, community outreach and
benefits, and challenges the hospital is facing.
12:00 PM: Lunch (60 minutes)
 Invite 20-40 members of your management staff, governing board or other key leaders. Personally
introduce the legislator(s) to every attendee.
 Ask the legislator(s) if he/ she wishes to address the attendees prior to or after lunch.
 Following lunch, CEO offers brief comments thanking the legislator(s) for attending.
1:00 PM: Adjourn
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Tips for a Successful Visit
1. Modify the sample invitation as needed. If you wish, follow up with a phone call to the legislative office. Send a
letter confirming the visit and thanking him/her for participating.
2. Schedule a visit when the CEO, executive leaders and board chair can be present for the entire time. Reserve a
meeting room for the pre-luncheon issues discussion.
3. Plan ways to showcase your hospital and give your legislator a hands-on, personalized experience. Do not
hesitate to ask him/her to wear a mask, wash hands or don a lab coat. Discuss new services or programs or those
that might be reduced or eliminated due to payment issues/state budget cuts. Discuss the impact of the Nurse
Staffing by Patient Acuity Act (e.g., creation or modification of nursing committees, staffing adjustments). Talk
about patient satisfaction, quality initiatives and how programs are designed to fulfill community needs.
Emphasize the dramatic changes in health care.
4. Focus on programs/services and areas that are essential to your community, or could be affected by
pending or future legislation. Include community outreach programs and partnerships with schools,
faith-based organizations or other community groups.
5. Contact department heads of the areas that will be toured at least three days prior to the event. This
will give them time to inform staff, attend to any housekeeping issues and prepare remarks.
6. Prior to the tour, have department heads prepare caregivers in each area to greet the legislator(s) and
briefly explain what they are doing. Introduce the legislator to any patients or visitors seen.
7. Throughout the visit, emphasize to the legislator(s) that:
 Your hospital is a trusted, reliable source for information on health care issues.
 Many employees, physicians, patients, volunteers, work in/support your hospital.
 Your employees are highly-skilled and knowledgeable about health care issues and dedicated to
caring for their patients.
 Your hospital makes significant contributions to the community over and above medical care.
8. Prepare a hospital fact sheet for the legislator (see page 5).
9. Review background information on the legislator(s) – biography, committee assignments, legislation
introduced, etc.,--available from IHA Government Relations.
10. Plan luncheon or for group to go through cafeteria line.
11. Ask PR to cover the event and follow-up with local media, website and social media postings and article
for the hospital newsletter and board reports (see page 7).
12. Send a personal note thanking the legislator(s) for taking the time to participate (see sample on page
6). Enclose a copy of the newsletter article or any media coverage.
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Hospital Fact Sheet
Hospital Name – City - Website
Chief Executive Officer:
[Name/Title, phone, email]
Government Relations/Community Relations Director:
[Name, phone, email]
Summary: Mission statement, service area (counties), unique programs or specialty services.
Organizational Characteristics

Teaching Hospital

Emergency Trauma Level ___
Perinatal Level ___

Critical Access Hospital

Disproportionate Share Hospital - Medicaid

Disproportionate Share Hospital - Medicare
Characteristics/Annual Statistics
Staffed Beds/Bassinets
Emergency Visits
Admissions
Births
Inpatient Days
Inpatient Surgeries
Outpatient Surgeries
Outpatient/Clinic Visits
xxx/xx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxxxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
Personnel
Total Employees
Physicians on Staff
Registered Nurses
Volunteers
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
Annual Financial Indicators
Total Patient Revenue
% Medicare
% Medicaid
% Inpatient
% Outpatient
Uncompensated Care
Annual Community Benefits
Annual Payroll and Employee Benefits
Value of Goods and Services Purchased
$xxx
xx%
xx%
$xxx
$xxx
$xxx
$xxx
$xxx
$xxx
Other Community Services (examples)
Programs such as: outpatient offices, block nurse program for shut-in seniors; multi-lingual programs;
childhood obesity awareness programs; diabetes screenings; blood pressure checks; etc.
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Sample Invitation Letter
Dear (Legislator):
As a member of the Illinois House of Representatives/Illinois Senate, I know that you will be considering
legislation regarding a range of hospital and health care issues in addition to formulating a state budget.
As the (CEO/President) of (hospital) in (city or community), and on behalf of our leadership team and the
board of directors, I invite you to visit our hospital so that you can learn more about our role in serving the
residents of District (#) and our thoughts on important health care issues. We would also like to highlight some
recent changes at our hospital that have increased our ability to serve your constituents.
I will call your office in the next few days to discuss when your schedule will permit you to visit our hospital
and learn more about our service to the community.
We look forward to visiting with you.
Sincerely,
Hospital President/CEO
Sample Thank You Letter
Dear (Legislator):
Thank you for taking the time to visit with us at (hospital name) yesterday. It was a pleasure to (meet you/see
you again) and to have the opportunity to share with you the great services and programs we offer for your
constituents. I’ve heard from many employees that they appreciated seeing you here and having the chance
to talk with you about issues important to them.
As you continue your service in the General Assembly, I hope that you will feel free to contact me if there is
any way I or any of our staff can be of assistance as you consider various health care proposals during the
session.
On behalf of our entire team at (hospital name), thank you for your service to our state. We sincerely
appreciate your support.
Sincerely,
Hospital President/CEO
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Sample Article or News Release
LEGISLATOR [NAME] VISITS [HOSPITAL NAME]
State Senator/Representative (name) visited (hospital) on (date) to talk about legislative issues important to
(hospital). (Name of legislator) represents the (number) Senate/Representative District in the Illinois General
Assembly, which includes (local city or community).
The Illinois legislature will be dealing with a variety of health care funding and policy issues. Sen./Rep. Name
and other legislators will be making important decisions regarding state funding, patient safety and overall
health care policy that will impact (hospital) and (city or community).
“I’m pleased that (legislator name) took the time to meet with us and learn more about our service to the
community,” said (name), president and CEO of (hospital). “We had a good discussion about (fill in the blank)
as well as (fill in the blank).”
During his/her visit, (legislator name) toured many different areas of the hospital, including (examples). He/she
also met with hospital leaders and board members to discuss community benefit programs provided by the
hospital, quality initiatives and improvements, workforce issues, the need for appropriate and timely state
payments and appropriate funding, workforce shortages, patient safety, and other critical health care issues.
The visit to (hospital) was coordinated by the Illinois Hospital Association in an effort to help hospital leaders
establish a good working relationship with their legislators. (Legislator) learned more about the hospital’s role
in serving the residents of (legislative district #) as well as the challenges the hospital faces.
[For a news release, please add the following paragraph]
About the Illinois Hospital Association
The Illinois Hospital Association (IHA), with offices in Naperville, Springfield and Washington, D.C., advocates
for Illinois' more than 200 hospitals and nearly 50 health systems as they serve their patients and
communities. IHA members provide a broad range of services – not just within their walls, but across the
continuum of health care and in their communities. Reflecting the diversity of the state, IHA members consist
of nonprofit, investor-owned, and public hospitals in the following categories: community, safety net, rural,
critical access, specialty, and teaching hospitals, including academic medical centers. For more information,
see www.ihatoday.org.
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Legislative Visit Feedback Sheet
Hospital name and city: __________________________________________________________
Date of visit: __________________________________
Name of Senator(s) or Representative(s):
______________________________________________________________________________
Name, title and phone number of person who led the program:
______________________________________________________________________________
Activities:

Toured hospital

Met employees

Met with board chair/key management staff

Discussed appropriate Medicaid funding and/or state employee health payments

Discussed nurse staffing by acuity, workforce shortages, why nurse staffing ratios is
bad policy

Discussed readmissions, HACs

Discussed impact of the Affordable Care Act

Discussed patient safety and quality improvement issues

Discussed the critical need for behavioral health safety net

Took photographs and alerted local newspaper

Sent follow-up thank-you letter

Other _______________________________________________
Any comments from legislator(s) on priority issues listed above:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Other issues raised by legislator(s):
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Value of the mini-residency program and suggestions for future visits:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Please photocopy this page and return via fax to IHA Government Relations at: 217-789-8933; or scan and
email to sdunlap@ihastaff.org.
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