Multiple well-known Illinois health systems have allowed workers accused of sexually abusing patients to keep providing care, a yearlong Tribune investigation has found.

And while some medical systems in other states have reckoned publicly with their failures, Illinois health care providers have quietly settled lawsuits, entered into confidentiality agreements with patients and often refused to acknowledge wrongdoing.

“You would hope that a hospital organization or health care provider organization would be more invested in rooting out bad apples,” said one state legislator. “As we’ve seen in the priesthood and school systems and police departments, it’s easier to just hide bad behavior and hope it goes away.”

The Tribune also found efforts by state government to hold providers accountable have fallen short, largely leaving hospital systems to decide on their own how to balance patient safety with their reputations and financial interests.

Patients reported sexual abuse by medical providers. Health care systems let them keep working

Failures by health systems to respond adequately to abuse allegations had devastating consequences for victims, who felt betrayed by institutions they had trusted with their health and safety.

The daughter of one woman who was victimized at age 76 by nurse David Giurgiu said her mother was devastated when she learned Giurgiu had allegedly abused another patient at Glenbrook Hospital. It wasn’t until the second allegation that the hospital fired him.

“That made everything worse,” the daughter said. “She was like, ‘If they just would have believed me, this wouldn’t have happened to another woman.’” Read part one of our investigation.

Failure to protect: Flawed state oversight lets doctors accused of abuse continue to see patients

Doctors and other health care providers accused by patients of sexual misconduct kept practicing – sometimes for years – because of gaps in Illinois laws and a licensing agency that can be slow to take disciplinary action, part two of a Tribune investigation found.

The providers went on to harm additional patients, in some cases, as their licenses remained in good standing with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.

Illinois law requires hospital officials who learn of abuse allegations to take action to protect patients, but the Tribune found that some medical providers who work outside those settings were left to operate largely unchecked until they were charged with a crime. Read part two of our investigation.

Former patients of Fabio Ortega say Endeavor Health failed to protect them from an abusive doctor

At least 30 women have filed lawsuits alleging that Dr. Fabio Ortega sexually assaulted them during appointments over a span of three decades at various Endeavor Health locations and, before that, at Swedish Hospital in Chicago. Most of the lawsuits allege that Endeavor and Swedish either knew or should have known that Ortega was a danger to patients and failed to protect them.

Now a Tribune investigation has pieced together the fullest picture yet of Ortega’s troubled history with patients and Endeavor’s pivotal role in keeping the doctor in place, with access to vulnerable female patients, despite multiple complaints.

Endeavor, formerly NorthShore University HealthSystem, has never publicly admitted any wrongdoing or error in its handling of Ortega and the allegations against him. Read part three of our investigation.

Chaperones may offer one solution to sexual abuse of patients by medical providers

Some medical experts and survivors of sexual abuse say broader use of chaperones may be one way to prevent misconduct.

In the past, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommended that chaperones be used when patients or doctors requested them. But in late 2019, the college changed its position, recommending that chaperones be present for all breast, genital and rectal exams with a few exceptions, such as during medical emergencies. Often, nurses or medical assistants serve as chaperones in addition to their other duties.

“Given the profoundly negative effect of sexual misconduct on patients and the medical profession and the association between misconduct and the absence of a chaperone, ACOG now believes that the routine use of chaperones is needed for the protection of patients and obstetrician-gynecologists,” the college wrote in 2019. Read part four of our investigation.

Criminally charged health care providers keep working unrestricted as state action lags

After investigating complaints that Crystal Lake endocrinologist Dr. Hiralal Maheshwari had touched patients inappropriately in his exam rooms, McHenry County prosecutors approved a felony charge of criminal sexual abuse in December 2021.

Under state law, the prosecutors should have immediately notified the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, the state agency with oversight over medical professionals. The department — which also had been investigating Maheshwari — then should have issued an order within five days requiring a medical chaperone at his appointments while the criminal case played out.

That did not occur. Instead, nearly five months passed before the state issued the chaperone order, allowing Maheshwari to continue to see patients unsupervised. Read the final part of our investigation.

Updates and impact

Attorneys call on AG’s office to criminally investigate former doctor Fabio Ortega and health systems where he worked

Attorneys representing former patients of OB-GYN Fabio Ortega are calling on the Illinois attorney general and the office of outgoing Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx to criminally investigate the troubled doctor and the health systems where he worked. Read the full story.

Another 26 women sue Endeavor Health and gynecologist Fabio Ortega, convicted of sexual abuse

Another 26 women filed lawsuits against former gynecologist Dr. Fabio Ortega and Endeavor Health this week, with many alleging the doctor sexually assaulted them and that Endeavor failed to protect them.

A total of 60 former patients have now sued Ortega, Endeavor and/or Swedish Hospital, where Ortega previously worked. Read the full story.

More Illinois health care facilities would have to report patient abuse under new bill

Doctors’ offices and clinics affiliated with hospitals would have to report allegations of patient abuse to the state health department under a measure introduced by Illinois lawmakers this week — legislation that comes about three months after a Chicago Tribune investigation examined the issue. Read the full story.

Illinois lawmakers pass bill to expand reporting of sexual abuse in health care settings following Tribune investigation

The Illinois legislature has passed a bill that would require more health care facilities to report allegations of patient abuse to the state — a measure that follows a Tribune investigation into the issue. Read the full story.

Endeavor Health is spending up to $453 million to settle patients’ claims that a former doctor sexually abused them

Endeavor Health is spending up to $453 million to settle patients’ claims alleging one of its former doctors sexually abused them, the Chicago-area hospital system disclosed in its latest financial statement.

The financial statement did not name the doctor. But Endeavor and Swedish Hospital are currently facing 61 lawsuits brought by former patients of gynecologist-obstetrician Dr. Fabio Ortega, accusing him of sexually abusing them while he worked at NorthShore University HealthSystem, which is now Endeavor. Settlements in principle have already been reached in those lawsuits. Ortega also formerly worked at Swedish, which is now part of Endeavor. Read the full story.

Endeavor Health settles final 23 pending cases involving former gynecologist Dr. Fabio Ortega, accused of sexually abusing patients

After years of litigation, Endeavor Health has settled the last batch of pending lawsuits filed by patients who allege they were sexually abused by former obstetrician/gynecologist Dr. Fabio Ortega – bringing the total number of lawsuits the health system has settled over the matter to more than 75. Read the full story.

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