32% of University of Chicago redirected patients are poor, uninsured

A higher percentage of the poor and uninsured are being redirected from the University of Chicago Medical Center to Mercy Hospital and Medical Center than the typical rate of admission of such patients to hospitals in Illinois. Nearly 7% of the patients cleared from the U. of C. emergency room and then transported and admitted to Mercy have no health insurance coverage, according to an eight-month period of data analyzing 396 patients. In addition, 25% of patients transported by ambulance 5 miles north to Mercy were covered by Medicaid, which is known for paying hospitals low rates, particularly in Illinois.