Metro South Medical Center Ratings & Violations

Metro South Medical Center is a 314-bed hospital providing cares and services to the residents of Cook County, Illinois. The facility is located in the historic city of Blue Island at:

12935 S Gregory
Blue Island, IL 60406
(708) 597-2000

http://www.metrosouthmedicalcenter.com/metrosouth/home.aspx

The medical center offers numerous health care services that include:

• Emergency Medical Care
• Cardiac care
• Immediate care
• Nutritional services
• Mental health services
• Maternity care
• Radiology and imaging
• Laboratory services
• Women's health care
• Surgical services
• Sports physical therapies
• Rehabilitation services
• Respiratory and pulmonary health care
• Occupational health services
• G.I./endoscopic services

Illinois State Designations

Currently, Metro South Medical Center maintains the following designations:

• Perinatal II+
• Primary Stroke Care

Patient Safety

Every medical center and hospital in Illinois is monitored by the Department of Public Health and other government agencies using statistical data. This information helps identify serious concerns about patient safety. According to data supplied by the hospital, Metro South Medical Center reported the following medical errors, which may be of concern to patients and their families.

Health Care-Associated Infections

• Surgical Site Infections Associated with Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery (1/1/116 to 12/31/16) 0 infections out of 22 procedures


• Surgical Site Infections Associated with Total Knee Replacement Surgery (1/1/17 to 12/31/17) 0 infections from 165 procedures


• Healthcare Facility Onset Incident Rate of CDI for 2018 – 14 patients suffered contagious Clostridium difficile infections out of 33080 patient days.

Patient Safety

• Risk-Adjusted Postoperative Lung Embolism or Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT clotting) (10/1/10 to 9/30/11) 10 out of 1,602 patients


• Accidental Puncture and Laceration (10/1/10 to 9/30/11) 5 out of 7,962 patients


• Iatrogenic Pneumothorax (healthcare-associated collapsed lung) (10/1/10 to 9/30/11) 1 out of 7,554 patients


• Postoperative Hemorrhage or Hematoma (10/1/10 to 9/30/11) 1 out of 1,622 patients


• Postoperative Respiratory Failure (10/1/10 to 9/30/11) 8 out of 580 patients


• Pneumonia Patients Admitted to the Hospital within 30 days (between July 1, 2014, and June 30, 2017) – 18.3% of all patients treated at the facility for pneumonia were readmitted to the facility 30 days after departure for retreatment. This statistical percentage is significantly higher than the national average (16.9%) and Illinois average (17.37%).


• Pneumonia 30 Day Mortality Rate (between July 1, 2014, and June 30, 2017) – 14.2% of all patients treated for pneumonia at the facility died within 30 days. This statistical rate is slightly lower than the national average (15.9%) and Illinois average (15.98%).


• Heart Failure Patients Readmitted to the Facility within 30 Days (between July 1, 2014, and June 30, 2017) – 24.3 % of all patients treated for heart failure were readmitted to the facility within 30 days after discharge. This statistical rate is slightly higher than the national average (21.6%) an Illinois average (21.78%).


• Heart Failure 30 Day Mortality Rate (between July 1, 2014, and June 30, 2017) – 11.2 % of all patients treated for heart failure at the facility died within 30 days. This statistical rate is slightly lower than the national average (11.9%) and Illinois average (11.67%).


• Heart Attack Patient Readmitted to the Facility within 30 Days (between July 1, 2014, and June 30, 2017) – 16.8 % of all patients treated at the hospital for heart attack were readmitted to the facility 30 days after discharge for retreatment. The statistical percent is slightly higher than the national average (16.3%) an Illinois State average (16.4%).


• Heart Attack 30 Day Mortality Rate (between July 1, 2014, and June 30, 2017) – 13.2% of all patients treated for a heart attack at the facility died within 30 days after admittance. The statistical rate is slightly lower than the national average (13.6%) and slightly higher than the Illinois average (13.32 percent).


• Hip Fracture-Associated Risk-Adjusted Mortality Rate for 2015 – 1 out of 33 patients died because of a hip fracture. This statistical risk-adjusted rate of 25.6 per 1000 patients is slightly higher than the Illinois average of 24.98 per 1000.


• Heart Attack Deaths Risk-Adjusted Mortality Rate for 2015 – 6 out of 151 patients died of heart attacks at the facility. This risk-adjusted rate of 30.22 per 1000 patients is significantly lower than the Illinois average of 37.24 per 1000.


• Stroke-Associated Risk-Adjusted Mortality Rate for 2015 – 7 out of 187 patients died of a stroke at the hospital. This risk-adjusted rate of 61.4 per 1000 patients is slightly higher than the Illinois average of 61.56 per 1000 patients.


• Congenital Heart Failure-Associated Risk-Adjusted Mortality Rate for 2015 – 5 of 488 patients died of congenital heart failure at the hospital. This risk-adjusted rate of 11.01 per 1000 patients is nearly half as much as the Illinois average of 20.74 per 1000.

Maternal Safety and Utilization

• Birth Trauma (10/1/10 to 9/30/11) 2 out of 1,633 patients

Sample Medical Malpractice Claims Involving MetroSouth Medical Center

$750,000 Settlement; Illinois IV Malpractice Claim

This troubling medical affair started off relatively benignly. The patient, a woman in her early fifties, was admitted to MetroSouth Medical Center. Medical staff there wanted to conduct an MRI. However, controversy arose in the lead up to the examination. They tried putting an IV catheter inside her for the purposes of that test. Apparently, it did not go well. They injected it into her small vein located within the thumb. This caused extravasation and other complications including tissue damage. Then, she suffered compartment syndrome due to the error. All of this necessitated follow-up care and surgery as well as physical rehabilitation therapy. Her medical bills due to the events were almost $80,000. She sued the parties involved in the incident. Her claim was that the negligent IV injection caused her damages including disability, physical injury, and bills. In an out-of-court agreement, the parties agreed to settle the matter for a reported $750,000. That was paid directly by the hospital.

$4,290,000 Settlement; Illinois Wrongful Death Case

This cause of action was brought on behalf of a family after their beloved mother suddenly died in an Illinois hospital, MetroSouth Medical Center. She entered the facility on a February night. Her chest was causing her aggravation. Doctors decided to do a CT-scan and that showed pericardial effusion. Staff took her at once to the intensive care unit for further evaluation. She was set to do an echocardiogram the following day to see if she had cardiac tamponade. However, she took a turn for the worse over the next night. Doctors sped up the echocardiogram and did it in the morning, but it was too late. She fell into cardiac arrest and died. Her two kids survived her. They brought this claim in Illinois court alleging the doctors, hospital, and other related parties were negligent and responsible for her untimely and wrongful death. They pursued damages for all of the harm the tragedy inflicted on them. The defendants offered a reply but their defenses-if any-were not weighed by a jury. Rather, all parties settled for the combined settlement sum of $4.29 million. Of that amount $2.2 million came from the MetroSouth facility.

$750,000 Settlement: Illinois Birth Injury Claim

The victim in this hospital accident was just a baby boy. His mother went into MetroSouth Medical Center in order to have him delivered. In the subsequent claim, it was alleged that doctors on staff did not deliver him properly. Specifically, the plaintiffs allege that the attending physicians used a vacuum extractor negligently, applying too much force to the baby. Consequently, the child developed a hemorrhage resulting in developmental delays and other problems. Plus, the family had to spend close to $100,000 in order for the boy to get the follow-up care he needed following the mistakes. They brought a lawsuit against the hospital for this unfortunate incident. They alleged the facility and its agents were negligent in their care of the mother and newborn boy. That means that the defendants did not act in a reasonable manner for the circumstances. Often, in cases like this, the mere fact the injury occurred signals some sign of negligence. However, this was ultimately not left to a jury to conclude, because the two sides settled. The family obtained $750,000 for the boy’s pain, long-term disability, expenses, and similar harms.

Blue Island, Illinois Medical Malpractice Lawyers

If you were harmed or suffered serious illness while you were a patient at Metro South Medical Center, your damages might have been caused by medical negligence. The Medical Malpractice Attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC are committed to protecting the public from mistakes occurring in all medical settings. Contact our attorneys today to schedule a free, no-obligation case consultation.

Our law firm accepts all wrongful death lawsuits, medical malpractice claims, and personal injury cases through contingency fee agreements. This arrangement postpones all payment of legal services until after we have successfully resolved your case through an out of court settlement or a jury trial award. All information you share with our office remains confidential.

Sources:

• Website
• Metrosouth Medical Center