MetroSouth Medical Center in Blue Island, Ill., told employees the facility would close Sept. 30, but the hospital will now stay open longer than expected after a state board postponed a decision on whether to approve the closure, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Brentwood, Tenn.-based Quorum Health announced in June that it filed an application with the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board to close MetroSouth Medical Center. Employees received letters last month informing them the 314-bed hospital would close Sept. 30. However, Quorum said it would not begin winding down operations at the hospital until the state review board approves the application.
Members of the review board were scheduled to vote on the application Sept. 17. The board decided to defer action after a lawsuit was filed Sept. 16 against Quorum.
People's Choice Hospital, a hospital management company that was a potential buyer for MetroSouth, filed a lawsuit alleging Quorum engaged in bad-faith negotiation tactics before calling off talks in August, according to the report.
A spokesperson for Quorum told the Chicago Sun-Times the lawsuit is "frivolous and without merit." People's Choice "repeatedly misrepresented the facts regarding their discussions related to MetroSouth Medical Center," the spokesperson said.
Quorum's decision to close MetroSouth Medical Center has drawn mixed reviews. Though several letters opposing the closure are available on the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board's website, the CEOs of seven Illinois hospitals owned or operated by Quorum signed a letter supporting the plan to close MetroSouth.
Access the full Chicago Sun-Times article here.
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