The Importance of Third-Party Hospital Ranking Systems
Hospital rankings help patients determine how the healthcare they receive in Chicago compares to other hospitals in the area and against the national average. It is important to consider these rankings when making decisions about your care or the health care of your children.
Lurie Children’s Hospital at a Glance
Lurie Children’s Hospital is a 312-bed pediatric and children’s hospital located in Streeterville on Chicago’s north side. It is affiliated with Northwestern Memorial Hospital. It was founded in 1882 as Maurice Porter Memorial Hospital and changed its name after a donation from the Lurie family to become the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. Its current campus was built in 2012. Its contact information is:
U.S. News & World Report Ranking for Lurie Children’s Hospital
U.S. News ranked the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago in Chicago, IL number 10 nationally for pediatric specialties. It is a children’s general medical and surgical facility that conducts pediatric research and has an emergency department.
National Ranking: Unranked, although it is perennially in among the top hospitals for children’s care and is nationally ranked for 10 children’s specialties including neonatology, pediatric cancer, pediatric cardiology and heart surgery, pediatric diabetes and endocrinology, pediatric gastroenterology and GI surgery, pediatric nephrology, pediatric neurology and neurosurgery, pediatric orthopedics, pediatric pulmonology and lung surgery, and pediatric urology.
Illinois Ranking: 1 for children’s care
Regional Ranking: 3 in Midwest
Illinois Hospital Report Card
The Illinois Department of Public Health rates hospitals in the Illinois Hospital Report Card and has the following information about the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.
The CDC identified the following infections detected at Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago:
Central Line Associated Bloodstream Infections (2019): 24
Surgical Site Infections (2019): N/A
Antibacterial-Resistant Bloodstream Infections (2019): 55, including 48 clostridium infections, which is statistically significantly worse than the national average.
Medical Malpractice Recoveries Against Lurie Children’s Hospital
Lurie Children’s Hospital has compensated victims of medical malpractice. Records show several notable settlements and verdicts. Here is an example:
$17million for death of child due to severe brain injury and bleeding during surgery to remove a cyst.
What Is Considered Medical Malpractice?
Medical malpractice is when a healthcare provider does something that is not the accepted standard of practice in the medical community. This can cause injury or death to the patient.
Examples of medical malpractice may include:
Misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis
Surgical errors
Anesthesia errors
Birth injuries
Hospital-acquired infections
Prescription drug errors
What Is Not Medical Malpractice?
Not everything that goes wrong during medical treatment is medical malpractice. If a provider does something that is the accepted standard of practice and the patient is still injured, this is not medical malpractice.
Settlements and Verdicts Are Not an Admission of Guilt
A settlement or verdict in a medical malpractice case does not necessarily mean that the hospital or doctor did anything wrong. Often times, these cases settle because it is cheaper for the hospital to do so than to go to trial. Also, juries are often sympathetic to patients and their families and may award a large verdict even if the hospital or doctor did not do anything wrong.
How to Find Out if Your Lurie Children’s Hospital Doctor Has Been Disciplined
The Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation (IDFPR) investigates and tracks any disciplinary action taken against Illinois doctors. Follow these steps to see if your doctor at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago has been disciplined:
Under the License Type dropdown menu, select “Medical Board”
Enter your doctor’s first and last name
Press “Detail” button next to your doctor’s name
If your child’s doctor has been disciplined, it will be listed under the Disciplinary Actions section. These actions could include: a reprimand; probation; suspension; summary or temporary suspension; revocation; refuse to renew; relinquished, surrendered, or permanent inactive; or fines.
You can take further steps and check the doctor’s credentials on the American Board of Medical Specialties website to verify their certification.
What to do if your doctor has been disciplined and you suspect medical malpractice.
First, you should consult with an experienced medical malpractice attorney to find out if you have a case. If you do have a case, your attorney will investigate and gather evidence to support your claim. This may include obtaining medical records and expert witness testimony. Once your attorney has gathered enough evidence, they will file a lawsuit on your behalf.
The Chicago medical malpractice attorneys at The Kryder Law Group, LLC have successfully represented many patients who have been harmed by negligent doctors or hospitals. Our law firm offers a free consultation and will only charge a fee if we recover compensation for you. Contact us today for a free consultation to review the facts of your case.
Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago Violations and Ratings
(312) 223-1700