Indianapolis' St. Francis defends charity care after negative report

Franciscan St. Francis Health on Thursday defended its commitment to provide needy patients with financial assistance, one day after a report slammed its charity care practice. The Hospital Accountability Project, a joint effort of the Citizens Action Coalition Education Fund and Indiana Legal Services, said all four Marion County nonprofit hospitals need to do more to make patients aware of their charity care provisions. But the project strongly criticized St. Francis Health, calling upon the state attorney general to launch an investigation. In a statement released Thursday, St. Francis expressed confidence in its financial assistance programs and said it hopes to meet with the report's authors. The hospital makes information about its financial assistance program available on patients' bills and its website, and has financial counselors available to help patients with questions.