Palos Community Hospital Malpractice & Violations

When you or a family member needs care, you expect the hospital to adhere to healthcare standards and provide dependable care. Unfortunately, hospitals sometimes fall short of these standards, harming patients.

You can pursue legal action if medical malpractice or negligence affects you or a loved one. With the help of a medical negligence lawyer, you can recover compensation for lost wages, medical bills, and other damages and hold the facility accountable for any deficiencies.

About Northwestern Medicine Palos Hospital

Get critical insights into this facility’s performance history, from patient feedback to regulatory assessments of their medical services.

Overview

Northwestern Medicine Palos Hospital is a 425-bed hospital with over 600 affiliated physicians. It’s located at 12251 South 80th Avenue, Palos Heights, Illinois 60463.

Palos Hospital is accredited by the Joint Commission, and it provides various health services, including:

• Behavioral Health
• Cancer Care
• Cardiovascular Care
• Emergency Medicine
• Lab Services
• Neurosciences
• Orthopaedics
• Rehabilitation Services
• Surgical Services
• Women’s Health

It also works with community organizations that provide food, shelter, and other services.

Ownership and Affiliations

Palos Hospital is an organization that is a part of Northwestern Medicine, a non-profit healthcare system affiliated with Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Northwestern Medicine encompasses 11 hospitals and more than 200 locations, including research hospitals, acute care hospitals, and academic centers. [1]

Northwestern Medicine is also included in the Forbes list of America’s Best Employers By State (2024) for the Healthcare & Social Services category. [2]

Reputation and Performance

According to U.S. News, Northwestern Medicine Palos Hospital ranks 15th in Illinois and 13th in Chicago and is rated as high-performing in nine procedures. Patients rank their experience 3 out of 5 stars in most categories. However, they rated the cleanliness in their hospital room and bathroom 1 out of 5 stars. [3]

The Illinois Hospital Report Card shows that 62% of patients would definitely recommend this hospital to family or friends, 4% less than the national average. [4]

According to the patient survey, Palos Hospital ranked 3 out of 5 on its Medicare profile. [5]

Notable Legal Actions Against Northwestern Medicine Palos Hospital

There are numerous claims against Northwestern Medicine Palos Hospital. They allege wrongful death, botched surgery, failure to prevent suicide, and other claims of negligence. Some of the cases have been resolved and resulted in high settlements.

Leaving Sponges in the Abdomen During Surgery

On November 7, 2017, Gary Schuh sued Palos Hospital and staff members for alleged negligence, stating that the doctor left sponges inside his abdomen during an operation. [6]

Failure to Provide Proper Medical Care

On November 21, 2017, Debra Zakrajsek filed a complaint against the hospital on behalf of Louise Zakrajsek. The claim states that the staff failed to intubate her when it was necessary, causing Louise severe physical injuries and acute respiratory failure. [7]

Failure to Intubate

On September 29, 2017, Lora Manske filed a complaint against the hospital as the independent executor of the estate of Joseph Manske III. According to the complaint, Joseph Manske suffered serious physical injuries in 2014 because he was not intubated. This neglect allegedly caused him to become aspirated. [8]

Failure to Prevent Suicide

Debra Keener filed a lawsuit against the hospital for allegedly taking insufficient measures to prevent a recently discharged patient from committing suicide. As a special administrator for the estate of William Keener, she claimed that they failed to provide him with appropriate medical care and ensure he was not a risk to himself. [9]

Failure to Treat Resulting in Child Death

On February 23, 2017, Barbara Baron, the mother of Philip Baron, sued the hospital for failure to treat her son for pneumonia. As a result, he died from bleeding in his lungs and upper respiratory tract. [10]

Birth Injury That Led to Permanent Health Issues

A Tinley Park girl suffered massive blood loss, and the hospital didn’t give her a blood transfusion until three hours after she was born. The Kerrins family filed a birth injury lawsuit in May 2014. While the Palos Hospital wasn’t found negligent, it had to cover $21 million in medical damages and ongoing medical support for the girl. [11]

Brain Damage Due to a Medical Error After Birth

Daniel Donohue was awarded $18 million for a birth injury in 1985 that caused him cerebral palsy and spastic quadriplegia. He was delivered in the Palos Hospital and suffered a lack of oxygen due to a medical error. [12]

Inspection and Deficiency Reports at Northwestern Medicine Palos Hospital

According to the Illinois Hospital Report Card and Medicare, Northwestern Medicine Palos Hospital is mostly average, though it ranks better than average in some measures. However, the reports show the following issues:

• A higher rate of inpatient heart attack deaths compared to the average U.S. hospital
• Higher stroke mortality than average
• A lower percentage of patients who received appropriate care for severe sepsis and septic shock (49% vs. 61%) [5]
• More catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) in ICUs and select wards
• More surgical site infections (SSI) from colon surgery
• More patients readmitted to any hospital within 30 days of discharge from the inpatient psychiatric facility [4]

Understanding Medical Negligence and Your Rights

Medical negligence happens when healthcare providers fail to treat patients according to the expected standard of care, causing them harm.

This negligence can take various forms, with common ones including:

• Surgical errors
• Medication mistakes
• Diagnostic errors
• Improper care

When these errors happen, seek help from a medical malpractice lawyer to recover compensatory damages. They have experience handling complex medical cases, gathering strong evidence, and working with experts to pinpoint where the healthcare provider made a mistake.

Secure Expert Legal Representation!

If you or a family member suffered an injury at Northwestern Medicine Palos Hospital, don’t wait too long to take action, as the statute of limitations for medical malpractice in Illinois is two years from the date of injury.

Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers is a Chicago-based firm that proudly serves clients across Illinois and select cases nationwide. Our Chicago medical malpractice attorney team is here to help you navigate your case and fight for the compensation you deserve.

We work on a contingency fee basis, so our clients don’t pay anything unless we win. To learn more about your legal options, call (888) 424-5757 or fill out our contact form for a free consultation.

References: [1] Northwestern Medicine, [2] Forbes, [3] U.S. News, [4] Illinois Hospital Report Card, [5] Medicare, [6] Cook County Record, [7] Cook County Record, [8] Cook County Record, [9] Cook County Record, [10] Cook County Record, [11] Chicago Tribune, [12] Chicago Tribune

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.