Chicago hospital closes after investigation
State health officials say Sacred Heart Hospital on Chicago’s West Side is closing immediately.
Illinois Department of Public Health spokeswoman Melaney Arnold says her agency received a call on Monday afternoon from the 119-bed hospital saying it was voluntarily closing the same day. State law requires 90 days’ notice.
The health department says a state nurse surveyor is on-site to ensure the safety of patients and medical records.
The decision comes more than two months after federal prosecutors issued a complaint against the hospital. An investigation dating to 2011 led to the arrest of the hospital’s owner and other executives and doctors for allegedly conspiring to exchange kickbacks for referrals of patients insured by Medicare and Medicaid.
A message left at the hospital Monday evening was not immediately returned.