Out in the open. Not-for-profit hospitals' charity spending revealed, but finding a standard measure may not be so simple.

A Modern Healthcare analysis of hospitals' Form 990 Schedule H filings shows that out of hospitals operated by 1,800 not-for-profits, more than a third put 1% or less of their spending toward subsidized medical care. But the AHA's Richard Umbdenstock, left, says focusing only on free-care spending is unfair. "It's just going to vary by community and circumstance," he says.