Advocate Sherman Hospital rescheduling elective surgeries due to a lack of anesthesia providers
Advocate Sherman Hospital in Elgin is putting a hold on elective surgeries for almost three weeks due to a lack of anesthesia providers.
In a statement, parent company Advocate Aurora Health didn't address the reason for the shortage in anesthesia providers, but did say they “will continue to provide care for urgent and emergent situations, and it is critical that patients seek care when needed.”
The statement said labor and delivery services will continue without interruption and that they are “rescheduling noncritical or elective procedures to other Advocate Aurora Health locations until Sept. 20 at the latest due to a shortage of anesthesia providers.”
The company declined to provide additional details.
Dr. Sanjay Sutaria said his company, United Anesthesia Associates in Elgin, had been working with Sherman Hospital for 30 years to provide anesthesia services. He said they had been negotiating with Advocate for more than a year and half on a contract before the hospital chain decided to go with another provider.
“It stings, because we did the best job we could,” said Sutaria, who added that his company had the support of doctors at the hospital. “It was purely a corporate decision that had no consideration for the community of Elgin.”
According to several doctors who contacted the Daily Herald, the Elgin hospital notified them that they would need to reschedule or find a new location for noncritical procedures starting Wednesday.
“I just think it's an absolute disgrace,” said Dr. Philip Lambruschi of Valley Plastic Surgery Center in West Dundee.
Lambruschi, an independent plastic surgeon who has been on staff at Sherman Hospital for 37 years, said he had one procedure scheduled in that time window. He performs most of his procedures at his own surgery center because it's cheaper for patients.
“Everybody was worried about big government taking over medicine and now big business has taken over medicine,” Lambruschi said.
“You can vote out the government, but you can't vote out big business.”