Loretto Hospital Ratings & Violations

Loretto Hospital is a 187-bed hospital provides cares and services to the residents and visitors of Cook County, Illinois. The facility is located at:

645 South Central Ave
Chicago IL 60644
(773) 626-4300

http://www.lorettohospital.org/

The not-for-profit community hospital provides diverse services to the Chicago metropolitan area including the communities in and around Austin that include:

• Behavioral Health Care
• Critical Care
• Emergency Medical Care
• General Medicine
• Podiatry
• Orthopedic Care
• Surgery
• On-site Laboratory
• Nutritional Services
• Physical, Speech and Occupational Therapies
• Diagnostic imaging
• Radiology
• Respiratory Care
• Pulmonary Care
• Vascular and Heart Health Care
• Eye Care
• Diabetes Care
• Cancer Screening

Illinois State Designations

Illinois health agencies recognize heightened levels of care provided by private and government-owned medical centers hospitals throughout the state. Currently, Loretto Hospital maintains no state designations.

Patient Safety Concerns

According to data supplied by the hospital to the Illinois Department of Health and other agencies, Loretto Hospital reported the following medical errors which may be of concern to patients and their families.

Health Care-Associated Infections

• Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections in the Adult Medical ICU (1/1/18 to 12/31/18) with zero reported infections for 738 central-line days.


• Health Care Facility Onset Incident Rate of CDI (for 2018) – Six patients suffered clostridium difficle infections out of 19,848 patient days.

Safety Concerns

The state of Illinois monitors every hospital and medical center to determine patient safety problems that exist inside the facility. Recent concerns involving Loretto Hospital include:

• Risk-Adjusted Postoperative Lung Embolism or Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT clotting) (for 2015) 1 out of 132 patients


• Accidental Lacerations and Punctures (for 2015) – 1 out of 3905 patients with a risk-adjusted rate of 1.66 per 1000, which is slightly higher than the Illinois average of 1.45 per 1000 patients.


• Medical Care-Associated Collapse Lung (for 2015) – 1 out of 38,074 patients with a risk-adjusted rate of 0.52 per 1000, which is nearly double the Illinois average of 0.28 per 1000 patients.


• Postoperative Respiratory Failure (for 2015) – 2 out of 67 patients suffered postoperative respiratory failure. This statistic has a risk-adjusted rate of 8.22 per 1000 patients, which is slightly higher than the Illinois State average of 8.04 per 1000.


• Iatrogenic Pneumothorax (healthcare-associated collapsed lung) 1 out of 6,505 patients


• Pneumonia Patients Readmittance Rate – 16.8% of all patients treated for pneumonia were readmitted to the facility after their discharge within 30 days (July 1, 2014, through June 30, 2017) this statistical rate is slightly lower than the national average (16.9%) and lower than the Illinois average (17.37%).


• Pneumonia Thirty-Day Mortality Rate – 15.3% of all patients treated for pneumonia between July 1, 2014, and June 30, 2017, died from the condition. The statistical rate is slightly lower than the national average (15.9%) and Illinois average (15.98%).


• Heart Failure Patient Readmittance Rate – 22.3% of all patients treated for heart failure and discharge from the facility were readmitted within 30 days (July 1, 2014, through June 30, 2017). This statistical rate is slightly lower than the State average (21.78%) and national average 21.6%).


• Heart Failure Thirty-Day Mortality Rate – 10.9% of all patients treated for heart failure between July 1, 2014, and June 30, 2017, died within 30 days of the condition. This statistical rate is slightly lower than the national average (11.9%) and the Illinois average (11.67%).

Sample Medical Malpractice Claims Involving Loretto Hospital

$600,000 Settlement; Illinois Neglect and Bed Sore Case

Most instances of bed sore take months or years to develop. This was not one of those cases. Here, the patient, an eighty-five-year-old woman, experienced bed sores (also referred to as decubitus ulcers) as well as dehydration, malnutrition, and sepsis in just a matter of weeks. She was staying at Loretto Hospital. Eventually, she died just a little over one month later. This lawsuit was brought against the Illinois facility in response to her downturn and subsequent passing. It complained that the hospital was negligent in its failure to monitor her, reposition her, and develop a plan of care to ward off these issues. It summarily stated that it owed her this much and that its derelict response constituted malpractice. It listed damages such as pain, suffering, expenses, and wrongful death. Eventually, the merits of the plaintiffs' claims were not weighed by a jury. Instead, the two sides found room to settle. The defendant's insurance company ended up compensating the victims to the tune of $600,000.

$575,000 Settlement; Illinois Failed Diagnosis Lawsuit

Here, the plaintiffs complainedthat the doctor and hospital (Loretto) failed to diagnose the patient in a timely and appropriate manner. The patient was a woman in her middle seventies. She entered the facility on an April day to receive care and examination. Apparently, the medical team missed the fact that she had a developing case of deep vein thrombosis. She came back the following day. Tragically, it was too late. She suffered a pulmonary embolism and that took her life. Her spouse and three children survived her. They brought this claim together. Their argument was that the defendants' malpractice - both the doctor and hospital - was the reason why she died. Specifically, they pointed to the failed diagnosis. Had they caught it earlier, she might have survived they stated. They sought compensation for the pain she suffered as well as the grief they were experiencing. The defendants offered a response but chose to short-circuit the dispute by settling. The hospital compensated the plaintiffs by $25,000 and the doctor compensated them by $550,000 bringing their total to $575,000.

$12,000,000 Settlement; Illinois Prescription Malpractice Claim

This hospital incidentinvolved a little girl. She was just six months old at the time of the relevant events. After being admitted to Loretto Hospital, she suffered a prescription overdose from Theophylline toxicity. It caused encephalopathy, shock, and other issues. These had the effect of rendering her unable to walk, speak, or control her movements. The estate for the little girl brought this action. It alleged that the medical staff did not note the rising complications related to the toxic levels of medicine being pumped into her body or take appropriate to reverse their effects. The estate noted that several tests showed the potassium levels were at "panic" state. Yet, nothing was done until it was too late. Representatives for the little girl sought compensation from the defendants which included the hospital, doctor, and resident. They wanted compensation for the girl's damages including pain, suffering, expenses, disability, lost normalcy of life, and related losses. In a negotiated settlement, the defendants offered the estate $12 million. They accepted on behalf of the little girl.

Chicago, Illinois Medical Malpractice Lawyers

If you suffered harm or became ill while you were a patient at Loretto Hospital, your injuries might be the result of medical negligence. The Medical Malpractice Attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC remain committed to protecting the public from errors occurring in medical settings. Contact our attorneys today schedule an appointment to discuss your case in a no-obligation, free consultation. Our lawyers can provide numerous legal options on how to proceed.

Our legal team accepts alt personal injury claims, wrongful death lawsuits, and medical malpractice cases through contingency fee arrangements. This agreement postpones every payment for legal services until after we have successfully resolved your case in a court of law or through a negotiated out of court settlement. We offer a “No Win/No-Fee” Guarantee, meaning if we are unable to secure financial compensation on your behalf, you owe us nothing.

Act fast, Illinois state statute of limitations restricts the amount of time you have to file a claim for compensation. Failing to act in time means if you miss the deadline, you forfeit all chances of obtaining monetary recovery in the future. All information you share with our legal team remains confidential.

Sources:

• Website
• Loretto Hospital