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Wednesday, October 27, 2004 12:10 PM CDT
Ill. hospitals warned about fake doctors
By DAVE FOPAY, Staff Writer
MATTOON -- Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center and other Illinois hospitals were warned recently about the possibility of fake doctors trying to use their facilities.
Patty Peterson, spokeswoman for SBLHC, said the hospital was notified of the incidents last month and took the necessary precautions.
"We were aware that this person was doing it at other hospitals," Peterson said. "Our staff was on the alert for it."
SBLHC requires doctors there to wear name tags, and the size of the facility means there's a small enough number of people at the hospital for most people to recognize one another, she added.
Peterson said SBLHC learned from Carle Foundation Hospital, Urbana, about an incident there. Also, according to information from Carle, similar incidents took place in other parts of the state.
Carle Spokeswoman Gretchen Robbins said a man posing as a cardiologist contacted the hospital last month to inquire about a position there.
She said the man had been "red-flagged" because he had tried the same thing seven years ago, when an investigation revealed that he didn't have the proper credentials. Carle security personnel contacted the man and reminded him that there was a no-trespassing order against him, Robbins said.
Also according to Robbins, the hospital's security department also got news about two incidents in northern Illinois last month where two men entered hospitals under suspicious circumstances.
At a hospital in Sandwich, Ill., two men entered a hospital, claimed to be visiting doctors and asked several questions about the facility before leaving when staff there confronted them. At a hospital in Peru, Ill., two men entered and said they wanted to buy a wheelchair then left abruptly when told management would be contacted. In both instances, the two men were described as being of Middle Eastern descent.
Both SBLHC and Carle alerted their security personnel to be on the look out for suspicious activities but no incidents took place at either hospital, the two spokeswomen both said.
Contact Dave Fopay at dfopay@jg-tc.com or 348-5733.
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