All hospital patients have been safely discharged
SPRINGFIELD–(ENEWSPF)–July 3, 2013. The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) intends to revoke Sacred Heart Hospital’s license after it abruptly closed on Monday without giving the Department the required 90 days notice.
“The Department learned Sacred Heart Hospital planned to close just a few hours before it shut its doors. Our priority at that time was the safety of the remaining hospital patients,” said Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. LaMar Hasbrouck. “We are now beginning disciplinary action against the facility to ensure that if the facility does reopen in the future, it will do so legally and responsibly.”
IDPH sent a nurse surveyor to the hospital after receiving a call Monday afternoon notifying the Department it would close at 5 yesterday evening. The IDPH nurse surveyor confirmed that all eight patients who were in the hospital were safely discharged either home or to another health care facility. The Department has also confirmed that emergency medical services (ambulance services) were notified of the closure, that equipment, medications and supplies were accounted for, that the doors were locked and there was security at the building 24 hours a day, and that there were signs on hospital doors alerting the public it was closed and where patients can get their medical records.
IDPH intends to revoke Sacred Heart Hospital’s license for failure to provide the Department with 90 days notification of its closure, and due to federal violations cited for deficiencies involving nursing services, quality assessment, infection control and others.
The Department began inspecting Sacred Heart Hospital in April after a complaint was filed. On April 16, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General arrested the owner, another hospital executive and four physicians affiliated with the facility. Arrests were made amid allegations of Medicare and Medicaid fraud schemes and medically unnecessary procedures and tests.
Source: idph.state.il.us
