“What we need are five more Chicago Institute of Neurosurgeons (CINN),” lamented Erin Gardiner, manager of public relations for Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center. “CINN with 24 neurosurgeons moved to Advocate Ravenswood Hospital Medical Center (RHMC) when Columbus Hospital shut its doors six months ago. Their rent has helped but the Ravenswood facility lost $35 million last year and an exploratory team will report in eight weeks.”
Ravenswood Hospital was not making ends meet when Advocate purchased it in 1999. Since then, Advocate consolidated services by doing away with duplication. For example, the emergency room was shut down, leaving Illinois Masonic, 836 W. Wellington Ave., a few miles away, to service the community, while Masonic’s psych facilities were moved to Ravenswood.
“The North Side of Chicago is over-bedded,” Gardiner said. “New technologies and philosophies have changed the way medical treatment is delivered. More emphasis is on outpatient care and day surgery where a patient leaves the same day after an operation. Hospital stays are as short as possible today.”
Recently, RHMC had a few other obstacles put in its way. The property and malpractice insurance costs have doubled since purchase. Medicaid, the state reimbursement for some medical costs, was delayed for three months and payments for some procedures have been cut out or reduced.
As to the migration of personnel from RHMC, Gardiner said that many of those same people are coming back. “It is natural for people to be unsettled when there are changes, especially if they don’t know their job will exist after consolidation.”
The Advocate system encompasses nine hospitals in Chicago and the suburbs. “We offer a unique opportunity for health care professionals. If someone gets married and wants to raise a family in the suburbs or move into the metropolitan area, they can transfer keeping their tenure.”
The changing city is also a factor. New residents do not consider local hospitals for major operations. They seek their treatment at larger facilities downtown, Gardiner said. It is just another reason the North Side is over-bedded.
There are no snags concerning the plans for the old Martha Washington site except in how the three acres donated by Advocate will be utilized. Some in the community want to use one acre for middle-income housing and two acres for seniors. This would be a rare opportunity for those middle-income earners, because if land for that purpose is not donated and instead land is sold at market prices, the resulting housing would cost too much for middle-income earners.
The remaining two acres of the site will remain Advocate’s. The School of Nursing will begin moving in May and be at another location by July. The announcement of which university the School of Nursing has partnered with—and where it will be moving—is expected next week. It will perform its clinicals and remain part of the Advocate network.
McNeil Rehab, which provided physical therapy and outpatient services, will move out, as will the Community Mental Health Center.The Advocate Health Center, which contains the urgent care center, will remain. The fate of the professional office building is uncertain at this time.
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