But two Democratic state lawmakers are proposing legislation<\/a> to help the state better prepare. Bills from state Sen. Laura Fine and state Rep. Robyn Gabel would require all hospitals to file plans with the state in case they close or scale back services to make sure patients don\u2019t fall through the cracks. For-profit hospitals owned by investors, like West Suburban, also would have to give the state a deeper look into their finances. Now, that\u2019s largely shielded from the public.<\/p>\n \u201cThe state, with legislation like this, is really stepping up to make sure that our hospital system is strong and that people are able to get the care that they need \u2026 so we are really ready for whatever happens in the future,\u201d said Fine, who represents the northern suburbs and is sponsoring the Senate bill.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n State Sen. Laura Fine is proposing legislation that she hopes will better protect patients if there is a closure and requires hospitals to plan ahead.<\/p>\n The proposed legislation was filed in February. Fine said she doesn\u2019t know if it would have prevented West Suburban\u2019s closure, \u201cbut it would have prepared us for it, and a plan would have been in place once that process started.\u201d<\/p>\n When the Oak Park hospital suddenly closed, several lawmakers called for better state oversight, especially considering the millions of taxpayer dollars hospitals receive to treat patients and pay for operations.<\/p>\n \u201cWe do need to have a warning system,\u201d said Democratic state Rep. Norma Hernandez, whose district includes West Suburban and Westlake Hospital<\/a>, which closed in 2019. \u201cWhat they\u2019re doing now, it should be illegal because it\u2019s so harmful.\u201d<\/p>\n She recommends tracking public dollars hospitals receive to understand how they\u2019re spent, such as if they\u2019re paying their bills on time.<\/p>\n Dr. Manoj Prasad, West Suburban\u2019s owner and CEO of Resilience Healthcare, said he told state officials for months that he needed support and more money. But he owes more than $100 million<\/a> to the state and vendors. A financial consultant reviewed the hospital\u2019s finances, but it\u2019s not complete, a state spokeswoman said, alleging the hospital hadn\u2019t provided full transparency into its finances and operations.<\/p>\n Prasad followed the law<\/a> when he suspended services at West Suburban. He said it\u2019s temporary. He had 30 days to notify the state and local lawmakers after suspending services and explain why. Now he must provide updates every 30 days.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Dr. Manoj Prasad, who owns West Suburban Medical Center, blames a new electronic medical record system for the hospital\u2019s financial woes. Prasad said he had to suspend services because the system failed to bill for much of the hospital\u2019s work for the last year. <\/p>\n Anthony Vazquez\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n Dr. Linda Rae Murray, a retired local physician, understands how little power the state has to regulate hospitals. She was on the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board, which regulates the health care industry, when Mercy Hospital on the Near South Side planned to shutter<\/a> during the pandemic, before getting bought for $1. It\u2019s now called Insight Hospital and Medical Center.<\/p>\n The board voted against Mercy\u2019s closure<\/a>, but had to approve<\/a> the new owner. All it required was the new owner filling out paperwork correctly. Murray said she was so frustrated by the board\u2019s broader policies and procedures that she left when her term was up.<\/p>\n She understands the frustration over West Suburban\u2019s sudden closure. People have deep ties to their community hospital, and it\u2019s often the biggest employer in the area.<\/p>\n But, Murray said, \u201cI don\u2019t understand how anyone can expect any state facility board or any other function of state government to force a hospital to stay open if, in fact, the hospital is losing money.\u201d<\/p>\n She has an idea for how the state could toughen up: require hospitals to keep reserves for emergencies, like making payroll, and keep a closer eye on the quality of care provided.<\/p>\n Inspectors visited West Suburban several times<\/a> over patient care issues before the hospital closed. Prasad closed his other hospital<\/a>, Weiss Memorial in Uptown on Chicago\u2019s North Side, last August.<\/p>\n Bill would make all hospitals develop a \u2018financial resolution plan\u2019 <\/p>\n Fine\u2019s proposed legislation, which Gabel mirrors in the state House, would require all hospitals licensed by the state to submit a \u201cfinancial resolution plan\u201d in the event of \u201cmaterial financial distress.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A sign at West Suburban Medical Center on April 1 alerting patients of its closure.<\/p>\n Anthony Vazquez\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n The plans would include everything from who owns the hospital, to how to safely transfer patients to other hospitals if their owners temporarily suspend services or close. Hospitals would need to identify potential gaps in services they would create, and what would happen to their employees and medical trainees.<\/p>\n Hospitals that don\u2019t comply would be fined no more than $500 a week, or just over $25,000 a year.<\/p>\n For for-profit hospitals, there would be even more requirements: audited financial statements and monthly balance sheets, among other documents, filed with the state every quarter that could provide clues into whether those medical centers are struggling. If they don\u2019t comply, the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, which oversees Medicaid public health insurance for people who are low-income or have a disability, could cut off funding.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/cst.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/47299ca\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/3585x2390+0+0\/resize\/840x560!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F4a%2Ff1%2F1bcca8724d6899d0afd59e3c5a0a%2F2018election-047.JPG\")
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