Northwestern Memorial Hospital Malpractice & Violations

The best hospitals in the United States tend to have strict policies and protocols to protect patients. High-performing hospitals prioritize safety and quality of care and regularly adhere to healthcare standards. Hospitals that receive frequent violations or lawsuits may reflect a lower quality of patient care.

Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers is committed to holding negligent hospitals accountable for their wrongdoing. Our Chicago medical malpractice attorneys are well-experienced in patient safety standards, Illinois laws, and medical malpractice trials.

About Northwestern Memorial Hospital

Overview

Northwestern Memorial Hospital is at 251 East Huron Street in Chicago, Illinois. The hospital is nationally ranked, with a history of forward-thinking design. Northwestern Memorial Hospital was one of the first hospitals in the Chicago IL, area to dedicate private rooms to patients for further privacy.

Northwestern Medicine was founded in 1865 by a local reverend and started off with just a few beds. Over time, Northwestern Memorial Hospital was moved to a few new locations, expanding with each relocation.

Today, Northwestern Memorial Hospital is an academic medical center located in downtown Chicago. Northwestern Medicine offers medical care across most healthcare specializations. The healthcare system provides various medical services to Chicago patients, including cardiovascular care, emergency medicine, occupational health, and clinical genetics.

As a teaching hospital, Northwestern Medicine has experts teaching students in nearly every medical specialty and a strong focus on research. Northwestern Memorial Hospital is the primary teaching hospital for Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

According to U.S. News & World Report, Northwestern Memorial Hospital has been ranked number one in Illinois for 13 years in a row and #9 in the United States. The hospital is also a leader in 11 adult specialties, including neurology and neurosurgery. [1]

Today, the Northwestern Memorial Hospital system has 894 inpatient beds covering each healthcare specialty and employs over 1,900 physicians.

Ownership and Affiliations

Northwestern Memorial Hospital is owned by Northwestern Medicine, which has 11 hospitals, five of which are ranked as “America’s Best” by the U.S. News and World Report.

Other hospitals within the Northwestern Medicine network include Feinberg Pavilion, Olson Pavilion, Prentice Women’s Hospital, and Galter Pavilion. The Northwestern Medicine group also holds over 200 medical centers in Chicago, IL, and Northern Illinois.

Northwestern Medicine also works with the Prentice Women’s Hospital, the Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Lurie Children’s Hospital and is strongly affiliated with Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

Reputation and Performance

U.S. News & World Report lists Northwestern Memorial Hospital on its Honor Roll, which means It is one of the best hospitals in the nation [1].

The healthcare system outranks many other hospitals in the state and nationally in various medical specialty areas, including cardiovascular, diabetes, endocrinology, ear, nose, and throat, and gastroenterology.

Northwestern Memorial Hospital is ranked #1 in the state of Illinois. This includes national rankings in 11 specialties and high-performing rankings in 21 procedures and conditions.

Northwestern Memorial Hospital has also received a Magnet certification, which is a gold-star rating from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. However, that doesn’t mean Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Northwestern Medicine haven’t seen their fair share of problems.

Notable Legal Actions Against Northwestern Memorial Hospital

Pending and resolved lawsuits can provide additional information about patient safety and care in a specific healthcare organization. Here are a few notable legal actions taken against Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

Failure to Protect Confidential Patient Data

An October 2022 lawsuit claims that Northwestern Memorial Hospital used a tracking code in its patient portal, which unlawfully shared consumers’ medical data with Meta Platforms. The class action lawsuit claims a breach of the Stored Communications Act, Wiretap Act, and Illinois Personal Information Protection Act [2].

Failure to Monitor a Patient Post-Surgically

In Richter v. Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Richter claimed that Northwestern’s medical staff failed to monitor her condition following surgery. In 1988, Richter was awarded over $382,000 in a win against Northwestern Memorial Hospital for her medical expenses and supplies [3].

Failure to Administer Accurate Dosage to Patient

In Varelis v. Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago medication error attorneys helped Varelis recover $2.8 million after staff at Northwestern Medicine failed to administer medication to her spouse correctly. This medical error resulted in a magnesium sulfate overdose in 1987 [4].

Insurance Fraud Via the False Claims Act

In the United States of America and the State of Illinois v. Northwestern Memorial Healthcare d/b/a Northwestern Medicine and Connance, Inc., the healthcare system allegedly violated the False Claims Act, Anti-Kickback Statute, and Illinois Insurance Claims Fraud Prevention Act.

The plaintiffs claimed that Northwestern Memorial Hospital conducted various fraudulent insurance scenes dating back to 2006. This included providing discounts to patients with private insurance and unlawfully collecting information from Connance to assist with fraudulent behaviors [5].

This history of lawsuits against Northwestern Memorial Hospital shows that even the highest-rated healthcare systems can have negligent staff. Bad hiring, a lack of training, unprepared medical students, or fatigued surgeons can all lead to a lower quality of patient care.

Inspection and Deficiency Reports at Northwestern Memorial Hospital

Hospital inspection and deficiency reports can also provide information about Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s health care quality. The Illinois Hospital Report Card from the Consumer Guide to Health Care reports that 81% of its patients recommend Northwestern Memorial Hospital [6].

Northwestern Memorial Hospital performs better at the state and national levels regarding the number of patients willing to recommend it to others, patients being given information about their recovery, staff communication, and access to quiet rooms.

Based on patient reviews, areas of improvement at Northwestern Memorial Hospital include timely medical care and cleanliness of patient rooms.

According to Medicare, Northwestern Memorial Hospital has an overall five-star rating and a four-star patient survey rating. Specific areas in which Northwestern Memorial Hospital received ratings lower than the state and national average included patient sepsis and a high number of patients in the emergency department before being seen by a medical provider.

Patients at the Northwestern Memorial Hospital emergency department wait an average of 329 minutes, far longer than the national average of 196 minutes or the state average of 236 minutes.

Understanding Medical Negligence and Your Rights

Medical negligence occurs when a medical provider deviates from the expected standard of patient care. If a medical professional conducts healthcare services in a way that differs from general practices, and the patient suffers injury, they could be held liable.

Medical malpractice is dangerous, as even the most minor medical errors can worsen the patient’s condition or develop further medical concerns. Some patients may die due to medical mistakes at a Northwestern Medicine facility or academic medical center.

While medical malpractice depends on the specific situation, it may include any of the following errors:

• Surgery Errors: Surgery errors can worsen patients’ health outcomes. Common errors may include leaving instruments in the patient, conducting surgery on the wrong body part, or causing nerve damage.
• Medication Errors: Medication errors at Northwestern Medicine Memorial Hospital may include failing to consider drug interactions or improper medicine dosing.
• Failure to Diagnose: Failure to diagnose in a timely manner or misdiagnosis could worsen the patient’s injury. For example, medical students at an academic medical center may not diagnose a condition and may not be adequately supervised by a doctor who should be diagnosing patients.
• Failure to Treat: Failing to treat a patient’s condition promptly could also be considered negligence. If a Northwestern Medicine facility, including Prentice Women’s Hospital, fails to treat a condition, it can worsen, resulting in more treatment or death.
• Improper Care: Any medical care that deviates from the expected industry standard could be considered negligence. Not properly caring for a patient can result in new conditions developing, conditions worsening, or death.

Medical negligence can occur in any medical specialty, including neurology, rehabilitation, gynecology, or cancer care. It can happen in any facility or hospital, including high-rated Northwestern Medicine facilities like Prentice Women’s Hospital or Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

Identifying and proving negligence in a Northwestern Medicine facility isn’t always easy. Working with a legal team familiar with IL laws and medical malpractice can be helpful in your case. Our lawyers assist with case investigation, evidence collection, and negotiations. We also work closely with expert witnesses who can strengthen your Northwestern Memorial Hospital case.

Secure Expert Legal Representation!

Northwestern Memorial Hospital is highly ranked and offers many high-performing specialty services. It is also a well-known American college where many people go to research medicine, use state-of-the-art laboratories on campus, and more. However, even nationally ranked hospitals and organizations can be negligent in their care.

Northwestern Medicine encompasses multiple organizations working together to provide healthcare to Chicago, IL, residents. This includes teaching patient safety, medicine research, rehabilitation, neurology, gynecology, and more.

However, even minor mistakes at a Northwestern Medicine facility or campus can be disastrous in medical care. You may have a legal case if you or a loved one were the victim of medical negligence at Northwestern Memorial Hospital or another healthcare system in Chicago, IL.

A Chicago personal injury attorney can help recover damages, including lost wages, medical expenses, and pain and suffering. However, with a limited time to file a medical malpractice claim in Chicago, you must explore your legal options as soon as possible.

Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers works on a contingency fee, meaning clients only pay if we recover compensation. Contact us today at (888) 424-5757 for a free consultation. You can also fill out our online form.

Resources: [1] U.S. News & World Report, [2] ClassAction.org, [3] Casetext, [4] Casetext, [5] Justia US Law, [6] 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.