Anyone requiring medical treatment warranting any length of hospitalization is facing serious health issues and deserves quality care to help them survive and heal. This is especially true for accident victims who often enter hospital facilities through emergency treatment with severe and life-threatening injuries.
Unfortunately, not all hospitals provide the same level of service to their patients. Some of our local facilities provide exceptional care. Others do not. Sadly, there are some hospitals in our part of the country that fall below acceptable industry standards of care – sometimes to the level of medical negligence.
Tragically, there will be accident victims and other patients who enter a hospital in Illinois or Indiana only to suffer additional bodily harm caused by hospital failures and institutional neglect. In these instances, that patient-victim will face the burden of having to seek justice through state malpractice laws. For more, read: Can You Sue Your Hospital? Yes.
2021 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Rankings for Illinois and Indiana
The level of care provided by hospitals across the country is not a mystery to industry insiders, as well as safety agencies and those who advocate for accident victims and their families. One respected standard for evaluating hospitals in our area is provided on an annual basis by The Leapfrog Group.
The Leapfrog Group describes itself as “…a nonprofit watchdog organization that serves as a voice for health care consumers and purchasers, using their collective influence to foster positive change in U.S. health care. Leapfrog is the nation’s premier advocate of transparency in health care—collecting, analyzing and disseminating data to inform value-based purchasing and improved decision-making.”
Its annual Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade identifies hospital quality with a published evaluation of each state based upon its overall record of patient safety.
According to the Fall 2021 Leapfrog State Rankings, neither Illinois nor Indiana accomplished ranking in the top ten states for hospital safety. Of greater concern, the State of Illinois fell significantly in safety rankings during a mere six-month time period, as shown below.
Leapfrog Ranking for Illinois
The Leapfrog’s Hospital Safety Rankings for the State of Illinois are as follows:
Spring 2021
- Ranked 17th in the country
- % A-rated Hospitals: 34.8%
Fall 2021
- Ranked 26th in the country (falling)
- % A-rated Hospitals: 28.5%
Leapfrog Ranking for Indiana
The Leapfrog’s Hospital Safety Rankings for the State of Indiana are as follows:
Spring 2021
- Ranked 35th in the country
- % A-rated Hospitals: 21.4%
Fall 2021
- Ranked 32th in the country (rising)
- % A-rated Hospitals: 24.3%
Medicare Identifies Indiana and Illinois Hospitals Penalized for Preventable Patient Harm
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) reviews hospital care and treatment provided to hospital patients who are covered by federal health care coverage. This is done pursuant to provisions of the Affordable Care Act which mandate an annual agency review to determine the bottom quarter (25%) of general hospital care and treatment in this country.
Accordingly, for the past eight (8) years, the federal government has performed a yearly study of data from hospitals across the country for instances of patients who have suffered things like bedsores, blood clots, fractures, sepsis, surgical infections, other infections (e.g., UTIs) and other preventable bodily injuries sustained while admitted to the institution for health care and treatment.
- For details, read “Health Care Paradox: Medicare Penalizes Dozens of Hospitals It Also Gives Five Stars,” written by Jordan Rau and published by Kaiser Health News on February 8, 2022.
This month, the CMS confirmed that financial penalties will be assessed against 764 hospitals in the United States because of confirmed patient harm that occurred during their hospital stay. The penalty involves a one percent (1%) reduction in Medicare payments to the facility over a one-year time span.
Kaiser Health News has compiled an online database (“Look Up Tool”) where individual hospitals can be researched, not only for the latest 2022 safety penalties but for past years (going back to 2015.)
From the KHN Look Up Tool, the following hospitals in Illinois and Indiana have been penalized in 2022 by the federal government for confirmed, preventable patient harm:
List of Penalized Illinois Hospitals
The following Illinois hospitals are shown to have 2022 Medicare Penalties due to confirmed, preventable patient harm:
- ADVOCATE CHRIST HOSPITAL & MEDICAL CENTER – OAK LAWN, IL
- ADVOCATE LUTHERAN GENERAL HOSPITAL – PARK RIDGE, IL
- ALEXIAN BROTHERS MEDICAL CENTER – ELK GROVE VILLAGE, IL
- CARLE RICHLAND MEMORIAL HOSPITAL – OLNEY, IL
- CROSSROADS COMMUNITY HOSPITAL – MOUNT VERNON, IL
- DECATUR MEMORIAL HOSPITAL – DECATUR, IL
- FRANCISCAN HEALTH OLYMPIA & CHICAGO HEIGHTS – OLYMPIA FIELDS, IL
- GALESBURG COTTAGE HOSPITAL – GALESBURG, IL
- GATEWAY REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER – GRANITE CITY, IL
- HARRISBURG MEDICAL CENTER – HARRISBURG, IL
- HERRIN HOSPITAL – HERRIN, IL
- HOLY CROSS HOSPITAL – CHICAGO, IL
- IROQUOIS MEMORIAL HOSPITAL – WATSEKA, IL
- JOHN H STROGER JR HOSPITAL – CHICAGO, IL
- KATHERINE SHAW BETHEA HOSPITAL – DIXON, IL
- MEMORIAL HOSPITAL OF CARBONDALE – CARBONDALE, IL
- MERCY HOSPITAL AND MEDICAL CENTER – CHICAGO, IL
- MT SINAI HOSPITAL MEDICAL CENTER – CHICAGO, IL
- NORTHWEST COMMUNITY HOSPITAL 1 – ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL
- NORTHWESTERN MEMORIAL HOSPITAL – CHICAGO, IL
- OSF HEART OF MARY MEDICAL CENTER – URBANA, IL
- OSF SACRED HEART MEDICAL CENTER – DANVILLE, IL
- OSF SAINT ANTHONY MEDICAL CENTER – ROCKFORD, IL
- PEKIN MEMORIAL HOSPITAL – PEKIN, IL
- PRESENCE MERCY MEDICAL CENTER – AURORA, IL
- PRESENCE ST MARYS HOSPITAL – KANKAKEE, IL
- ROSELAND COMMUNITY HOSPITAL – CHICAGO, IL
- SAINT JAMES HOSPITAL – PONTIAC, IL
- SARAH BUSH LINCOLN HEALTH CENTER – MATTOON, IL
- SOUTH SHORE HOSPITAL – CHICAGO, IL
- ST BERNARD HOSPITAL – CHICAGO, IL
- ST JOSEPH MEDICAL CENTER – BLOOMINGTON, IL
- ST MARGARETS HOSPITAL – SPRING VALLEY, IL
- ST MARYS HOSPITAL – DECATUR, IL
- UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS HOSPITAL – CHICAGO, IL.
List of Penalized Indiana Hospitals
The following Indiana hospitals are shown to have 2022 Medicare Penalties due to confirmed, preventable patient harm:
- CLARK MEMORIAL HOSPITAL – JEFFERSONVILLE, IN
- COMMUNITY HOSPITAL NORTH – INDIANAPOLIS, IN
- COMMUNITY HOSPITAL OF ANDERSON AND MADISON COUNTY – ANDERSON, IN
- DAVIESS COMMUNITY HOSPITAL – WASHINGTON, IN
- ESKENAZI HEALTH – INDIANAPOLIS, IN
- FRANCISCAN HEALTH DYER – DYER, IN
- FRANCISCAN HEALTH HAMMOND – HAMMOND, IN
- FRANCISCAN HEALTH MICHIGAN CITY – MICHIGAN CITY, IN
- FRANCISCAN HEALTH MUNSTER – MUNSTER, IN
- GOOD SAMARITAN HOSPITAL – VINCENNES, IN
- HENDRICKS REGIONAL HEALTH – DANVILLE, IN
- INDIANA UNIVERSITY HEALTH – INDIANAPOLIS, IN
- KOSCIUSKO COMMUNITY HOSPITAL – WARSAW, IN
- MAJOR HOSPITAL – SHELBYVILLE, IN
- MEMORIAL HOSPITAL – LOGANSPORT, IN
- MEMORIAL HOSPITAL AND HEALTH CARE CENTER – JASPER, IN
- NORTHWEST HEALTH-LA PORTE – LA PORTE, IN
- PARKVIEW HUNTINGTON HOSPITAL – HUNTINGTON, IN
- REID HEALTH – RICHMOND, IN
- RIVERVIEW HEALTH – NOBLESVILLE, IN.
Accident Victim’s Personal Injury Claims for Hospital Malpractice
For accident victims and their loved ones in Indiana and Illinois, there is the initial crisis of the incident itself and dealing with its immediate consequences. Those who survive a semi-truck crash, construction site fall, motorcycle accident, etc., to reach the hospital facility for emergency care have achieved victory over death. The victim now relies upon that health care institution for help in order to recover from that incident with proper medical treatment.
Sadly, these new hospital reports confirm that for many patients entrusted to the care of hospitals in Indiana and Illinois, there is a real possibility of additional harm that is caused by actions or failures to act by those employed or acting on behalf of the hospital itself. Some of these confirmed preventable conditions, such as sepsis, can be deadly.
In these instances, the victim may have legal avenues for justice against the hospital for malpractice under the state laws of Illinois or Indiana. For more, read:
- Hospital Malpractice: Patient Deaths during Hospital Stay in Indiana or Illinois
- Most Dangerous Hospitals for Patients in Illinois and Indiana: 2019 Hospital Safety Report
- DOJ Prosecutions of Hospitals and Doctors: Confirming Epidemic of Profit Not Patient Care as Motivation for Health Care Industry
- Hospitals Hurt People: Hospital Negligence Causing Harm and Serious Injury to Patients: Are You or Your Loved One Safe in The Illinois or Indiana Hospital?
- Deadly SuperBug Cannot Be Stopped With Antibiotics: CDC Warns Hospitals, Doctors to Protect Patients from Killer Bacteria CRE
- Hospitals Are Still Dangerous: Medical Malpractice Risk Unchanged Reports New England Journal of Medicine Study.
If you or a loved one have been involved in a serious accident, it is vital to understand your legal rights insofar as the personal injury laws of Indiana and Illinois as well as your rights regarding proper medical care and treatment by the hospital(s) where you were treated. Please be careful out there!
