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Image credit: By CSlabyIDFPR – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=106190226
Multiple prominent Illinois health systems have allowed medical professionals accused of sexually abusing patients to continue practicing, often without public accountability. A yearlong investigation by the Chicago Tribune uncovered systemic failures, revealing that hospitals quietly settled lawsuits, entered into confidentiality agreements, and refused to acknowledge wrongdoing, even when multiple complaints surfaced against the same providers.
Instead of prioritizing patient safety, Illinois healthcare institutions often appeared to focus on protecting their reputations and financial interests, leaving victims feeling betrayed by the very systems meant to protect them. Some doctors accused of sexual misconduct continued treating patients for years, while hospitals and state regulators failed to take decisive action.
Systemic Failures in Addressing Medical Sexual Abuse
The investigation highlights a troubling trend—hospitals and medical institutions in Illinois repeatedly failed to act on allegations of sexual abuse. Even when allegations surfaced, some hospitals allowed accused providers to continue practicing until additional victims came forward or legal action was taken.
“You would hope that a hospital organization or healthcare provider would be more invested in rooting out bad apples,” said one Illinois legislator. “As we’ve seen in the priesthood, school systems, and police departments, it’s easier to just hide bad behavior and hope it goes away.”
The Case of Dr. Fabio Ortega: A Pattern of Allegations
One of the most egregious cases is that of Dr. Fabio Ortega, an OB-GYN accused of sexually abusing at least 60 former patients over a span of three decades while working at Endeavor Health and Swedish Hospital. Lawsuits against Ortega and the institutions that employed him allege that hospital administrators either knew or should have known that he was a danger to patients and failed to intervene.
Despite multiple complaints, Endeavor Health never publicly admitted wrongdoing. Instead, it has agreed to pay up to $453 million in settlements to former patients who have accused Ortega of sexual misconduct.
The Role of Regulatory Failures in Allowing Abuse to Continue
Illinois state regulators also played a role in allowing accused doctors to remain in practice. The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), which oversees medical licenses, was slow to take disciplinary action, leaving some doctors with unblemished licenses for years while they continued to see patients.
A glaring example of regulatory failure involves Dr. Hiralal Maheshwari, a Crystal Lake endocrinologist accused of inappropriately touching patients. Under state law, after being criminally charged with sexual abuse, prosecutors should have immediately notified state regulators, who were then required to mandate a medical chaperone for all patient interactions within five days.
Instead, Maheshwari continued seeing patients unsupervised for nearly five months before the state finally issued the required order.
Legislative Response: Will New Laws Protect Patients?
In response to the Tribune’s findings, Illinois lawmakers have introduced new legislation requiring that hospitals and clinics report allegations of sexual abuse to the state health department—a measure that was previously not required for all medical providers. This law is intended to close loopholes that allowed misconduct to remain hidden and ensure greater transparency and accountability in healthcare institutions.
Advocates for medical accountability are also pushing for stronger protections for patients, including mandatory chaperones during sensitive exams. In 2019, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) changed its policy to recommend that chaperones be present for all breast, genital, and rectal exams, citing the connection between the absence of chaperones and increased instances of sexual misconduct.
What Happens Next?
While settlements for victims provide some measure of justice, advocates say more needs to be done to prevent future abuse. There is an ongoing push for greater oversight of medical professionals, faster regulatory responses, and tougher penalties for institutions that fail to act when abuse allegations arise.
As Illinois and other states begin to reckon with longstanding failures in protecting patients from medical sexual abuse, the focus now shifts to whether these new policies will be effectively enforced—or if hospitals will continue to put reputations and profits ahead of patient safety.
