Swedish Hospital Malpractice & Violations

Hospitals must adhere to strict standards of good medical practice, including centering patient care and ensuring the safety of both patients and staff. Because good care is essential to ensuring a person’s well-being, the federal government and the Illinois Department of Public Health carefully monitor all hospitals and issue violations for severe infractions.

Healthcare violations can lead to negligence or medical malpractice, which can have severe or fatal consequences. Unfortunately, Swedish Hospital has a history of poor performance and lawsuits due to neglecting those they are meant to help.

If you’ve been harmed by Swedish Hospital, a Chicago medical negligence attorney from Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers can help hold healthcare providers accountable and secure compensation for your ongoing medical needs.

About Swedish Hospital

Overview

Swedish Hospital, located at 5145 N California Avenue, Chicago, IL 60625, is on Chicago’s North Side in the Ravenswood neighborhood.

With 312 beds, Swedish Hospital offers medical services in 50 disciplines, including emergency medicine, physical therapy, cardiovascular surgery, orthopedic procedures, and neurology.

The hospital campus includes the Rosenberg Women’s Health Center, which provides 3D mammography, labor and delivery, and primary care for women and children. There is also a Joint Commission-certified primary stroke center for emergency stroke care.

The Galter Medical Pavilion provides wellness services to support patients at all life stages, including a pharmacy, outpatient care, and lab work.

Since Swedish Hospital is in a highly diverse community, it offers resources for people from all backgrounds and ethnicities. Its staff can assist clients in 40 languages, including American Sign Language.

Ownership and Affiliations

Swedish Hospital’s legal name is Endeavor Health Swedish Hospital. It is part of Endeavor Health, a hospital system serving Chicago and its suburbs.

Endeavor Health owns nine hospitals, including NorthShore University Health System, Northwest Community Hospital, and Elmhurst Hospital.

The company also operates over 300 healthcare locations across Chicagoland, offering primary health services, emergency treatment, and urgent care. Some Endeavor Health facilities provide mental health care for children and adults.

Reputation and Performance

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) provides ratings for all hospitals that accept government insurance, including a five-star quality rating score and a five-star patient survey rating.

Swedish Hospital has a 2-star CMS rating, which is below average [1]. Its patient survey rating is also two stars, below average [2].

US News and World Report notes that Swedish Hospital is a center of excellence in one condition: heart attack treatment [3]. Despite claiming that its mission is to serve its highly diverse community, ratings note that its patient demographics are significantly less diverse than those of community members.

Notable Legal Actions Against Swedish Hospital

Sexual Abuse

Over 300 women have filed lawsuits against Fabio Ortega, an obstetrician-gynecologist formerly employed by Swedish Hospital [4]. He is accused of abusing girls as young as age 14 in his practice.

In several instances, he would phone or visit patients outside of their appointment times and ask them intrusive questions about their sex lives that were irrelevant to the scheduled procedure.

In one case, a woman called Dr. Ortega’s office for a rape kit after being sexually abused. He subjected her to an unnecessary breast examination and vaginal examination, further traumatizing the victim. Dr. Ortega was employed at the hospital from about 1989 to 2007.

Wrongful Death Due to Negligence

Saiyed v. United States. was filed in 2020 after Mikaznaaz Saiyed died after giving birth at the Rosenberg Women’s Health Center at Swedish Hospital in 2019 [5].

During a scheduled C-section, she suffered complications and was rushed to the ICU before being transferred to another hospital, where she passed away within a week. While her son survived, he suffered severe brain injuries.

Chicago birth injury attorneys allege that the hospital did not order adequate testing for an amniotic fluid rupture and did not correctly treat blood loss, leading to the mother’s death.

Employing an Excluded Individual

In 2022, Swedish Hospital paid the Office of Inspector General $716,000 for violating the Civil Monetary Penalties Law [6]. This means that the Swedish Hospital employed a person who was excluded from participating in federal health care programs.

A person can be excluded from participating in Medicare or Medicaid because they committed fraud or abuse, which could endanger staff members and patients.

Inspection and Deficiency Reports at Swedish Hospital

Swedish Hospital has a 2-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Notable concerns from their quality reports include a high percentage of people who left the emergency department without receiving care, which is three times higher than the national average [7]. The national average is 3%, while Swedish Hospital has a 9% rating.

The hospital’s psychiatric unit also had a much higher use of restraints than the national average [8]. According to care standards, restraining a mentally ill person should only be done when completely necessary, as it can be considered a violation of the person’s dignity.

The hospital’s survey score is also 2 stars, below average. Only 62% of patients said they would recommend the hospital, well below the national average of 72% [9].

Swedish Hospital performed below the national and state averages on all 10 measured survey metrics, including patients going home with information about their condition, having enough privacy, and receiving care soon after they page a nurse.

The Illinois Hospital Report Card notes that Swedish Hospital’s medical/surgical unit turnover rate is 22.39% [10]. While every hospital will have open positions and turnover, losing almost a quarter of nurses in only a year suggests that the hospital is not providing a good work environment for its employees.

Emergency room patients at Swedish Hospital spent a median of 272 minutes in the emergency room before being sent home, almost 2 hours longer than the national average [11]. Long wait times like this can be because the hospital did not schedule enough nurses, had no place for every injured person, or was not efficiently managing its resources.

Understanding Medical Negligence and Your Rights

Medical negligence occurs when a subject does not receive the care he or she needs from a doctor, nurse, or other medical professional. Not only can this mean the individual needs more follow-up treatment, but it can result in serious complications, pain, and even death.

Common types of hospital negligence include:

• Surgical Errors – This can occur when the doctor operates on the wrong organ, leaves medical instruments inside the incision, or even amputates the wrong limb. This may lead to the victim needing more surgery to correct the error.
• Medication Mistakes – Common issues with medication include being given the wrong dosage or medication. Receiving the wrong medicine can lead to further complications depending on the type of drug used.
• Failure to Diagnose – Failing to notice and treat a severe illness could lead to delayed diagnosis, which is especially concerning for problems like heart attack, cancer, or stroke.
• Improper Care – Medical care should always be client-centered and consider the patient’s values, needs, and experiences. Improper care may include ignoring a patient’s wishes, treating them with disrespect, or even assaulting them.

A medical negligence attorney holds doctors, nurses, and hospital systems accountable for failing to help their clients. We aim to secure compensation for long-term care needs and compensate you for the pain and suffering caused by negligence.

Our team will negotiate with the hospital on your behalf to ensure you receive what you deserve. If this isn’t successful, we will file a lawsuit and take Swedish Hospital to court, where a judge and jury will determine appropriate compensation.

Secure Expert Legal Representation!

If you’ve been mistreated or neglected at Endeavor Health Swedish Hospital, it’s crucial to act quickly, as the personal injury statute of limitations in Illinois is only two years.

Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers is a leading personal injury law firm in Chicago that assists clients who are mistreated by hospital systems and medical practitioners. We work on a contingency fee basis, meaning you owe us nothing unless we can recover compensation.

To schedule your free consultation with an experienced personal injury lawyer, call (888) 424-5757 or request one online.

References: [1] Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, [2] Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, [3] US News and World Report, [4] CBS News, [5] CaseText, [6] Office of Inspector General, [7] Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, [8] Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, [9] Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, [10] Illinois Hospital Report Card, [11] Illinois Hospital Report Card,

All content undergoes thorough legal review by experienced attorneys, including Jonathan Rosenfeld. With 25 years of experience in personal injury law and over 100 years of combined legal expertise within our team, we ensure that every article is legally accurate, compliant, and reflects current legal standards.