St. Luke's Des Peres Hospital provides care to patients consistent with its mission and values. Financial Assistance is available to those who reside in the community we serve, who are uninsured or underinsured and do not have adequate financial resources to pay for necessary healthcare services provided. Financial assistance does not apply to internationally traveling/vacationing patients who seek treatment at St. Luke’s Des Peres Hospital. Non-US citizens and US citizens living outside the USA are not eligible for financial assistance; this includes patients on a visa and international students. This does not include undocumented individuals living in the US. St. Luke’s Des Peres Hospital will use its best efforts to provide financial assistance fairly and consistently, balancing our patients’ needs for financial assistance with St. Luke’s Hospital’s broader fiscal responsibility, and taking into consideration each patient’s specific needs. Information gathered to determine whether a patient qualifies for Financial Assistance is kept confidential and is limited to only those directly involved with the determination process and is considered “protected health information” (PHI) under HIPAA.

Charity is defined as the demonstrated inability of a patient to pay, versus the unwillingness of a patient to pay. The Financial status of a patient is determined through the financial assistance application process and/or from information obtained from outside parties to distinguish a patient’s ability to pay. All patients seen at St. Luke’s Hospital are expected to contribute to the cost of their care, based upon their individual ability to pay.

Charity Care includes services provided to:

Charity Care excludes services such as convenience items, cosmetic procedures or service provided that are not medically necessary.

Determination for eligibility for full or partial charity will remain valid for twelve months from the date of charity determination for all necessary hospital services and will be applied to current episode of care and unpaid balances.

Patients may apply for Financial Assistance at any time before, during or after their care. The application requires proof of income which includes a federal tax return for all adults in the household, Social Security Income (SSI), pension statements , paycheck stubs, alimony and child support documentation, and/or declaration of income from their supporter. Patients who do not file a tax return will need to provide proof of residency. If data provided by a patient requires greater clarification than what is provided, St. Luke’s Des Peres may contact the patient’s employer, the IRS or other sources with the patient/guarantor’s consent to validate the data. Patients may also be asked to obtain written validation of data provided for consideration of financial assistance. If upon receipt of the application, all of the required documentation is not received, St. Luke’s Des Peres will contact the patient by phone or a follow up letter will be mailed requesting the additional information needed to complete the processing of the application.

If there is a change in financial circumstances within a twelve-month period, an updated or new financial assistance application may be completed. Patients who have had a change in income due to a job change, loss of a job, or reduced hours/inability to work for a period of 3 months or more can reapply and will be considered for financial assistance based on their current income. Patients will need to provide documentation supporting the change in income ie: previous year tax return along with W2, three months current paycheck stubs, letter from employer stating employee’s current status and pay, disability letter, unemployment, etc...

Patients are expected to cooperate with the hospital’s procedures for obtaining insurance and other forms of payment and to contribute to the cost of their care based on their individual ability to pay. Individuals with the financial capacity to purchase health insurance shall be encouraged to do so, as a means of assuring access to health care services, for their overall personal health, and for the protection of their individual assets. The hospital will exhaust all payment options including, but not limited to local, state and Federal Assistance programs (ie: completing a Medicaid application) and requiring patients to seek in-network care, before considering an application for financial assistance. Charity care discounts will not be applied to patient accounts who have elected to receive services at St. Luke’s and are out of network with their insurance plan. Prior to financial assistance discounts being applied, all other resources must be applied first, including applicable health insurance coverage, payment from third party payors, and payments from Medicaid and Medicaid HMO plans. If funds are provided to the patient to purchase insurance coverage are used for basic living needs and can be documented as such, including current level of income based on Federal Poverty Guidelines, consideration of financial assistance will not be based on lack of insurance coverage.

Amounts charged to financial assistance eligible patients will not exceed Amounts Generally Billed (AGB) to patients with medical insurance. Patients can contact Patient Financial Services to obtain the current AGB. Patients without insurance who receive services at the hospital will automatically be eligible for a 40% discount and are eligible to apply for a financial assistance. Patients without insurance who receive services at St. Luke’s Medical Group will automatically be eligible for a 33% discount and are eligible to apply for financial assistance.