Editor’s note: This story was updated at 3:06 p.m. Central time Aug. 8.
Chicago-based Weiss Memorial Hospital closed the morning of Aug. 8 amid CMS’ plan to terminate its Medicare program participation, Huy Nguyen, chief of staff for state Rep. Hoan Huynh of the 13th District, where Weiss Memorial is located, confirmed with Becker’s.
“IDPH is aware that Weiss Memorial Hospital has suspended operations and we continue to monitor the situation closely,” a spokesperson for the Illinois Department of Public Health said in an Aug. 8 statement shared with Becker’s. “There were no patients hospitalized at Weiss at the time this took effect. IDPH is committed to ensuring patient safety and quality of care at healthcare facilities in Illinois, and we continue to assess the impact of this on the local healthcare system.”
CMS said in a late July public notice that Medicare will stop reimbursing the 239-bed acute care hospital for inpatient care delivered to patients admitted on or after Aug. 9 due to it being out of compliance with federal standards with respect to emergency services, nursing services and physician environment.
Mr. Nguyen said a coalition of state officials sent a request to CMS on Aug. 5 to request an eight-week extension and a reevaluation survey for the hospital to give it more time to address the violations.
“The ramifications of this decision are severe,” the request, obtained by Becker’s, said. “Our communities stand to lose not only a critical healthcare provider, but also a key employer and stabilizing force in the Uptown neighborhood. Residents who rely on Medicare will be forced to find access to care, and frontline healthcare workers, already strained, face mounting uncertainty.”
The request also said elected officials have convened “emergency meetings” with Weiss senior leadership, the Chicago Department of Public Health, the Illinois Department of Public Health, officials from Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office, along with state and federal partners, to work toward solutions.
Mr. Nguyen said 55% of Weiss Memorial’s patients are on Medicare and approximately 30% are on Medicaid, meaning 2 of every 10 patients at the hospital will be covered once the hospital loses Medicare funding.
“[That’s] not enough to sustain a hospital,” he said.
The closure of Weiss Memorial comes amid a slew of Chicago hospital closures over the last few years.
In 2022, Chicago Policy Review reported that 20 hospitals have closed in the city since 2000, accounting for nearly one-fourth of its hospitals. Most recently, Ascension St. Elizabeth in Chicago closed in mid-February prior to Ontario, Calif-based Prime Healthcare’s purchase of it and eight other St. Louis-based Ascension hospitals in Illinois.
In late 2024, Louisville, Ky.-based Kindred Hospitals also shared plans to close two of its Chicago market acute care hospitals in the spring, Kindred Hospitals Sycamore and Lakeshore, after considering “the excess number of beds in the local community.” The closures resulted in 150 layoffs.
In mid-June, Weiss Memorial evacuated its inpatient unit after its air-conditioning system failed. Patients were moved to its sister hospital, Oak Park, Ill.-based West Suburban Medical Center. Manoj Prasad, MD, PhD, the hospital’s owner and CEO, told the Chicago Sun-Times its previous owners did not maintain the AC system.
In late 2022, El Segundo, Calif.-based Pipeline Health System sold Weiss and West Suburban to Princeton, N.J.-based Resilience Healthcare.
Mr. Nguyen said following the air-conditioning malfunction, the district has heard from nearby Chicago hospitals including Thorek Memorial and Swedish Hospital, which have seen an uptick in patients, particularly in their emergency rooms.
Becker’s has reached out to Weiss Memorial Hospital and Resilience Healthcare for comment and will update this story should more information become available.
