Illinois Hospital's Trauma Status at Risk After Anesthesia Pay Dispute
Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan, Illinois faces a state review of its level 2 trauma designation after its contracted anesthesia group suspended services over a missed payment, the Lake and McHenry County Scanner reported October 23. The group halted new anesthesia coverage in the operating room, ED, cath lab, endoscopy and ICU starting noon October 22, citing a missed invoice deadline under a September payment agreement. State rules require level 2 trauma centers to maintain on-call anesthesia able to respond within 30 minutes; the Illinois Department of Public Health sent surveyors October 23 but has not placed the hospital on bypass. Vista Health System said it is evaluating the hospital's scope of services with regulators but did not address the payment dispute. The hospital previously lost and regained its trauma designation in 2024 over anesthesia staffing gaps, and has faced leadership turnover, a patient death, and bounced paychecks in the past two years.