Illinois Health Systems Under Scrutiny: The Push for Better Reporting of Abuse

Illinois is taking steps to tackle sexual misconduct in healthcare. A recent push aims to strengthen how healthcare workers and systems handle and report sexual misconduct claims. The goal is to prevent abuse from being swept under the rug. This comes after a series of revelations about how some healthcare systems failed to protect patients from sexual abuse. The state government also faced criticism for not holding these systems accountable. The new bill requires healthcare workers to report any sexual misconduct they witness or hear about to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation within 24 hours. This includes health institutions, which must report allegations to the same department within 24 hours of starting an investigation. Failure to report can result in hefty fines, which will go into a fund for sexual assault survivors. This bill is a joint effort by several state agencies and a state representative. One of the most shocking cases involved a doctor named Fabio Ortega. Despite complaints about his behavior and a police investigation, Endeavor Health allowed Ortega to continue seeing patients. He later pleaded guilty to sexually abusing two patients. Dozens of former patients accused him of abuse, and Endeavor Health has settled over 75 lawsuits related to these allegations. The health system also disclosed spending $453 million on costs and settlements related to a doctor accused of sexual abuse. The bill also expands reporting requirements for law enforcement. They must notify the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation within 30 days of opening an investigation into a licensed healthcare worker. This is to ensure that the state can take prompt action when healthcare workers are charged with certain criminal offenses. The Illinois Health and Hospital Association is currently opposing the bill. However, they are working with the representative who sponsored the bill to reach an agreement. There are also concerns from some healthcare workers about the potential risks to their licenses. But the push is on to ensure that healthcare facilities address and do not hide these issues. The Health Care Licenses Committee voted in favor of the bill. But the representative who sponsored it plans to bring the matter back to the committee with an amendment before it moves to the House floor. The goal is to strike a better balance between protecting healthcare workers and ensuring that patients are safe.