Operation Click Gives Away Three Cars

Started in 1998 with the three high schools in Crystal Lake cooperating with the CL Police Department and the Crystal Lake Chamber of Commerce, Operation Click is now a robust two-state enterprise dedicated to keeping teens safe while driving their … Continue reading

The Awful FRG Train-School Bus Accident

October 25, 1995–twenty years ago. What an awful day. That was the day of the Fox River Grove school bus-Metra train collusion. Substitute driver unfamiliar with the route. Mercifully, I remained blissfully ignorant of the morning crash until about noon. … Continue reading

Local Hospitals Score 3’s and 4’s Out of 5

Medicare has put out patient reviews of hospitals. There’s a five star rating system and local hospitals got 3’s and 4’s. Friday the Chicago Tribune had a huge article about the new program, including a list in descending order of … Continue reading

Local Hospitals’ Five Star Ratings

Chicago Crain’s Business has hospital ratings by HealthGrades. There are a number of categories which were judged. In descending order from a score of 22 Five Star ratings for Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, the list descends to … Continue reading

Tribune Notices Medicare Penalties for Hospitals with High Readmission Rates

Almost twenty days ago, McHenry County Blog reported on Medicare penalties being levied by the Federal government on local hospitals. While the article focused on hospitals serving local patients, a Chicago Tribune article Thursday reported on hospitals statewide. Being early … Continue reading

Obamacare Penalizing Local Hospitals for Medicare Hospital Readmissions

Bill Baar’s West Side blog led me to the story of how the Obama Administration is penalizing hospitals it judges to have too high readmission rates, for Medicare patients. Fox News explains, “Starting in October, Medicare will reduce reimbursements to … Continue reading

Zane Seipler Amends His Call for a Special Prosecutor for Sheriff Keith Nygren

One might have thought the campaign ended with the Republican primary victory of McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren over Zane Seipler, the deputy Nygren never wants to see in the Sheriff’s Department again. But Seipler’s blog, McHenry County Sheriff’s Department … Continue reading

Death Rates at Area Hospitals

One of the data sets issued by Medicare cuts to the chase. It’s about mortality. Death rates to the rest of us. When I was managing state employee benefits (my consolation prize after running against Roland Burris for State Comptroller … Continue reading

Medicare Statistics Raise Questions about McHenry & Woodstock Hospitals’ Use of Medical Imaging

The Federal government has released data showing the use of medical imaging for hospitals across the country. The data base allows the comparison of three hospitals on one page, so I selected Barrington’s, McHenry’s and Woodstock’s. Taking a look at … Continue reading

Patients Questionnaires Compare Three Area Hospitals

Here’s an interesting web site that allows viewers to compare three hospitals. I took the three who serve most McHenry County patients, Advocate Good Shepherd, Centegra McHenry and Centegra Woodstock. Look at what patients filling out questionnaires said about each: … Continue reading

Dick Tracy Wrist Radio Technology Launching Thursday in McHenry County

The idea of a wrist radio transmitter to help find missing people will become a reality starting April 2nd. Soon-to-be elected (because she is unopposed) Grafton Township Supervisor Linda Moore re-surfaced the concept last year. Her Huntley precinct contains much … Continue reading

Community Investment Award in Crystal Lake to Good Shepherd Hospital for Intermediate Care Center across from Pingree Road Metra Station

Because my brother-in-law Dr. Joe Giangrasso (seen above with Dr. Liz Horvath) heads up the Emergency Room operation at Good Shepherd Hospital, I got advance notice last summer of his department’s new facility in Crystal Lake across from Metra’s Pingree … Continue reading

Condell Agrees to Pay $36 Million "to Avoid the Delay, Uncertainty and Expense of Protracted Litigation" on Improper Medicare & Medicaid Practices

The following press release has been received from the U.S. Attorney’s Office concerning Lake County’s Condell Health Network and Medical Center. A press release from Condell says, “Condell’s integration plans with Advocate Health Care, the state’s largest health care system, … Continue reading

Condell Agrees to Pay $36 Million "to Avoid the Delay, Uncertainty and Expense of Protracted Litigation" on Improper Medicare & Medicaid Practices

The following press release has been received from the U.S. Attorney’s Office concerning Lake County’s Condell Health Network and Medical Center. A press release from Condell says, “Condell’s integration plans with Advocate Health Care, the state’s largest health care system, … Continue reading