In a News Release issued Saturday, the Citizens for Healthcare in Ottawa (CHO) recently filed a complaint with the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) regarding the OSF plan to eliminate or significantly reduce certain services now provided at OSF St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Ottawa.
CHO is a group of concerned citizens objecting to OSF’s application before the Illinois Health Facility and Services Review Board (IHFSRB) seeking to replace the current OSF facility with a smaller facility delivering fewer services.
The complaint filed with the DOJ states that “OSF is using its monopoly power to play a dangerous game of chess with the health care facilities and services” in the Ottawa area. With recent acquisitions, OSF is the only provider of hospital services in the Ottawa planning region, which includes the counties of LaSalle, Bureau, and Putnam.
Under the OSF plan Ottawa will lose all five of its intensive care beds, and all 14 of its obstetric delivery beds. The plan will further reduce Ottawa’s medical/surgical beds, from 54 to 12, (a 78% reduction) making Ottawa, one of the smallest (if not THE smallest) med/surg units in the state.
Complaint filed with the Department of Justice was submitted by Colleen Burns, on behalf of the CHO organization. The complaint can be found in its entirety at the CHO website at https://saveottawahealthcare.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/saveottawahealthcare.
The complaint concludes: “We now also took to the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission to investigate this matter as a true health care monopoly that will undeniably have impacts to patient safety, hospital staff working conditions, and affordable and accessible health care for patients and taxpayers. OSF is making a business decision that supports their financial performance and growth plans to appease their system’s senior leaders and the bond market investors.”