{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,2]],"date-time":"2026-09-02T15:13:02Z","timestamp":1788361982341,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":8,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,31]],"date-time":"2026-08-31T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1788134400000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["J Pastoral Care Counsel"],"abstract":"<jats:p>This reflection challenges the revenue-centric model of healthcare administration within the United States that treats professional chaplains as financial liabilities due to a lack of direct fee-for-service insurance billing codes\u2014a structural condition reflected in compensation disparities between chaplains and their clinical peers. Operating within the contemporary landscape of value-based care, this paper synthesizes health economics and clinical literature to establish a data-informed case for chaplaincy as an institutional asset for cost mitigation and quality improvement. Early spiritual care and interdisciplinary palliative interventions correlate with reduced patient Length of Stay (LOS) and lower overall resource utilization under Diagnosis-Related Group (DRG) payment structures. Furthermore, integrated spiritual care supports federal reimbursement under the Hospital Value-Based Purchasing Program by improving Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) patient experience scores. Chaplaincy interventions also mitigate costly clinical workforce turnover by addressing moral distress among nurses and physicians. Ultimately, evaluating a chaplain's utility solely through direct fee-for-service revenue tracking represents a narrow economic view. Aligning compensation structures to reflect operational contributions establishes equitable pay as a matter of fiscal accuracy and administrative sustainability.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/15423050261484599","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,31]],"date-time":"2026-08-31T11:07:21Z","timestamp":1788174441000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["The Hidden ROI: Why Hospital Chaplains Deserve Equitable Compensation"],"prefix":"10.1177","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-5722-2116","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Chaplain Shady M.","family":"Alshorman","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Orlando Health Orlando Regional Medical Center (ORMC)"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,31]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_2_2_1","volume-title":"Becoming a chaplain: Professional costs, educational debt, and compensation realities","author":"Chaplaincy Innovation Lab","year":"2021","unstructured":"Chaplaincy Innovation Lab. (2021). Becoming a chaplain: Professional costs, educational debt, and compensation realities. Brandeis University."},{"issue":"2","key":"e_1_3_2_3_1","first-page":"45","article-title":"The impact of spiritual care interventions on healthcare staff burnout, moral injury, and workforce retention","volume":"23","author":"Jeuland J.","year":"2017","unstructured":"Jeuland J., Fitchett G., Targett P. (2017). The impact of spiritual care interventions on healthcare staff burnout, moral injury, and workforce retention. Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy, 23(2), 45\u201361. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1080\/08854726.2017.1293847","journal-title":"Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_4_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/nicc.13202"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_5_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/08854726.2014.981417"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_6_1","volume-title":"2023 national health care retention & RN staffing report","author":"NSI National Health Care Retention","year":"2023","unstructured":"NSI National Health Care Retention. (2023). 2023 national health care retention & RN staffing report. NSI Nursing Solutions."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_7_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1089\/jpm.2014.9427"},{"issue":"4","key":"e_1_3_2_8_1","first-page":"481","article-title":"Cost savings associated with palliative care and chaplaincy consultations in acute care settings","volume":"52","author":"Starks H.","year":"2016","unstructured":"Starks H., Wang S., Farrokhi S., Fitchett G. (2016). Cost savings associated with palliative care and chaplaincy consultations in acute care settings. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 52(4), 481\u2013490. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.jpainsymman.2016.03.016","journal-title":"Journal of Pain and Symptom Management"},{"issue":"1","key":"e_1_3_2_9_1","first-page":"88","article-title":"The impact of interdisciplinary spiritual care on HCAHPS patient experience metrics in urban hospitals","volume":"40","author":"White K.","year":"2025","unstructured":"White K. (2025). The impact of interdisciplinary spiritual care on HCAHPS patient experience metrics in urban hospitals. Journal of Nursing Care Quality, 40(1), 88\u201395. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1097\/NCQ.0000000000000799","journal-title":"Journal of Nursing Care Quality"}],"container-title":["Journal of Pastoral Care &amp; Counseling: Advancing theory and professional practice through scholarly and reflective publications"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/15423050261484599","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1177\/15423050261484599","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/15423050261484599","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,2]],"date-time":"2026-09-02T14:17:28Z","timestamp":1788358648000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/15423050261484599"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,31]]},"references-count":8,"alternative-id":["10.1177\/15423050261484599"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/15423050261484599","relation":{},"ISSN":["1542-3050","2167-776X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1542-3050","type":"print"},{"value":"2167-776X","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,31]]},"article-number":"15423050261484599"}}