Silver Cross Hospital

This place saved my life. In August 2015 I suffered a hemorrhagic stroke to my right basal ganglia and could not walk, talk or use my left arm. They brought me back to being me. The nursing and RIC staff were the best. I was pushed to get better and to recover, which is what I needed. I have never experienced people as great as these people before.

I’ve had two outpatient procedures here and cannot speak highly enough about the nursing staff and Dr.

This hospital was horrible! My husband went in for his diabetes. He was in dka, sweating nauseous, high ketones in his urine and cramping really bad. His sugar levels were also very high. They made us wait 2 hrs to see the dr., and when we did he just dismissed us. They said this is a chronic illness and gave him only a pill and 8 units of insulin. They said only kids go into dka (which is a lie) and they would only be concerned if he was dizzy throwing up or passing out. I swear the dr. Did not care. They just wanted us out of there. I will NEVER GO BACK THERE! They only care if you are. dying I guess. They didn’t even do blood work or urine test.

The cafeteria is full of jerks. The doctor push in to place an order while taking a visitors order. I will tell you what I want. I have even seen the grill cook through food to other employees. No wonder the price are so high.

I went in for an outpatient procedure and was entirely pleased with the entire experience. Everyone I came in contact with was really friendly and helpful even at 6:00 a.m. Would go back there again in a minute.

This place is horrible. 2 hours in a room with xray done… I’m still sitting here. Paged nurse 3 times before she actually showed up. Wtf. This is horrible. Haven’t even seen doctor yet. And it’s not even busy. I was brought back in a fast track room right away. thus is ridic. I’ll never be coming back.

Have had nothing but great experiences here when needed most. ER, Sleep Center… appreciate it is so close, clean and filled with friendly folks.

I have brought my mother to Silver’s ER twice in the past month. Each time I have been pleased with the care and treatment she has received. This past time, she was admitted. So far, the inpatient care has been very good and staff members have been very kind and thoughtful. The rooms are lovely and spacious. May I also mention that I am a nurse so my prospective would be a bit more critical than another healthcare consumer. I just may be a Silver convert!

I haven’t posted a Unilocal review in awhile, because after moving back to the suburbs … there’s nothing to Unilocal about!
But… my experience at Silvercross was a complete nightmare and I plan on reporting it to my insurance company.
I went in on a Saturday afternoon suffering the night before with a medium high fever, chills and body pains. I am a 29 female with 0 health problems besides the fact that I am pregnant. OB doctors are all at Northwestern.
My NW docs told me to come back downtown (after taking the Metra train home) to the ER but I waited till the next day to see how I felt.
The next day, I stumbled into Silvercross, shaking and extremely sick. They took me back right away because it was NOT busy.
The nurse came in… asked me what was wrong… saw I was shaking and had chills never offered me a blanket or anything. Instead she shoved an IV into me FAILING TO CHECK TO SEE IF IT WAS PUMPING FLUIDS INTO ME. — 1 hr goes by no fluids have been going into my pregnant body. The nurse comes back in and goes «ohh man you haven’t been getting any fluids»… and she gets the piece that turns the IV into an actual IV Drip.
The doctor comes in «Dr.» Matthew McCormick.
If you can tolerate talking to him for 5 minutes — kudos to you.
He is a complete whacko, scatter brained, overly animated for no reason and his own nurse called him an asshole in front of me. Can’t make it up…
«Dr.» Matthew McCormick is a real life «Dr. Nick» from the Simpson’s.
He pretty much asked me the same 5 questions over and over after getting my results back, but not really understanding what could be wrong with me (basic UTI and office virus in the end).
My OB docs name was VERY intriguing to him and we spent more time talking about how to spell her name (in which it took him 3 times back and forth chatter before he decided to grab a pen and paper). We also discussed how his kids were born at Northwestern not SCH and if I knew any of the doctors that delivered his kids… NO I DON’T AND I DON’T CAAAAARE — I AM AT THE ER FOR A REASON!
Since they thought I might have an appendix issue (after getting my results back that were clearly a UTI), they inserted a catheter into me. The goal there was to fill it up with fluid and then drain my bladder so they could see my appendix better.
The nurse inserted the catheter… THEN LEFT THE BAG BETWEEN MY LEGS ON THE BED. So basically my urine wasn’t fully draining into the bag. They were supposed to fill up the bag with fluid in the ultrasound room.
The ultrasound lady wheeled me out then asked me when my last period was…
I had to tell her I was pregnant… which she replies… «ARE YOU SERIOUS NO ONE FREAKING TOLD ME.» Then pushed me to the side and complained about «Dr.» Matt aka THE FUN ONE! to a colleague.
She never filled the bag with fluid, she did a basic appendix check and was done. The bag was still sitting between my legs the entire time.
They wheeled me back in my ER room and we sat there for another hour of «Dr» Matt’s world of «so tell me where it hurts again?» questions and «I think you are safe to go home but you know how FANCY HOSPITAL DOCS ARE… they want you to go to Northwestern to observe you». THANK YOU NORTHWESTERN FOR REQUESTING TO OBSERVE ME!
Upon prepping me to leave because good olé bag of brains «Dr.» Matt finally figured out how to spell my OB docs name instead of actually figuring out what was wrong with me… the nurse is like, «OMG THE ULTRASOUND LADY LEFT YOUR BAG ON YOUR BED!»
«No you never hung it up».
Then she moved it to the hook (even though it was coming out because we were leaving) in a fast paced motion and it nearly ripped out of my urethra.
She pulled out my IV (see attached photo, she was REALLY good at inserting it too…) removed my catheter that never needed to be put in, told me I wouldn’t pee the rest of the day (awesome for someone who had a UTI), and told me «Dr.» Matt the asshole (her own words) had papers for me to take with me to Northwestern.
My husband and I ran out of there. Went to the Northwestern. Was diagnosed within an hour with a common virus and early UTI. I spent the night there, getting hourly care, MEDICINE and help from people who are REAL DOCTORS!
… sadly it gets worse.
I had a missed called from SCH. It went to the ER station. «Dr.» Matt wanted to check in on me… but doesn’t recall any of the above happening and even tried to make me feel like I DIALED THE WRONG NUMBER! I told him «YOU CALLED ME».
I had bad experiences with SCH with my dad when he was dying from cancer, so I didn’t expect much when I stopped in… but I never expected for it to be a complete shit show.
Thank god for Northwestern — quickly taking action and determining the doctors at SCH were pretty incompetent. When I walked into they even go «cmon Brit, it seems like you’ve had a nightmarish day… we know we talked to the ER doc over there!»

The pros… great treatment from all the nurses/​nurse assistants with the exception of one (she just had no personality), kind, attentive and caring, the place is beautiful, the ER doc introduced himself to me within 2 minutes of me arriving to see my dad.
The con… once they admitted my dad, they were in no great hurry to have him be seen by the heart doctor or run tests (3 days) fasting/​not fasting and my father had a heart attack about a year ago, congestive heart failure, fluid in his lung and was short of breath. You would think they would be quicker to be sure of what was ailing him for his own safety and health. The doctors (NOT ER DOCS) need to be present and actively doing their jobs.

Billing department keeps billing us directly instead of our insurance, even though we gave them all the information upon check in. Our insurance company has also re-​sent them all the information the hospital claimed they needed to get this sorted out 3 times. We are still getting billed 3 months later and were sent a collections warning. Every time we call to get this fixed, they are very rude, incompetent, and most of all unhelpful.

My husband was here for five days, five long days.
He came in through the ER because of insurance issues that Advocate created, but that’s another review.
People who worked here were kind, professional and caring to him and me.
He got superb care even though he did not have a doctor on staff. They treated him and his condition and got him well.
For the visitors, there is complimentary valet parking, a bus to the parking lot, security at night and a Starbucks in the lobby. They gave me a pillow and welcomed his visitors any time.
Just don’t eat in the cafeteria. Trust me on this.

They took care of me and that’s what really matters, yes?
I had insurance snafus with Advocate which landed me here but now I am glad I did.
I spent five days and nights here and the staff was outstanding. The main thing is that they gave me all the right medicines, treatments and tests. Plus they laughed at my jokes.
I got better and home to my own TV and food. Those weren’t so great in the hospital.
I hope I am never sick again but if I do, I would come back here as my first choice.
Thanks everyone!

My wife had the opportunity to put Silver Cross to the test when she was sidelined with severe abdominal pain. By the time she finally went in, as she was testing the limits of her pain threshold, her appendix had ruptured, abscessed, and encapsulated. She had acute appendicitis and was admitted immediately. The level of care from the onset and throughout was second to none. The surgery became more complicated than originally anticipated, due to the severity, though the surgeon was still able to complete it laparoscopically, leaving almost no scarring. The nurses were professional, attentive, empathetic, and overall amazing. My wife was there almost a week and we couldn’t have asked for a better stay. The kids and I were there every day and and I were also so pleased with the experience.

This experience we had was about 1 year ago…
I took my wife to emergency room because she was having severe abdominal pains. The ER was not busy but unfortunately for us they had just went live with a new computer system and it slowed the ER down to a halt. We were there the entire day for her to have blood work and an ultrasound on her gallbladder done. The tests themselves were quick and easy but the wait time to even get to a room and then to get a doctor was insane.
Both tests were negative. Then there was another test they could have gave but refused. They sent us home and we’re told to see a specialist for gallbladder. She ended up getting pain meds and gall bladder was removed eventually after that other test was performed that the hospital refused.
The ER had no sense of urgency for a patient in severe pain and the place was dead. The computer system was blamed but medical care should still go on if the computer crashes.
Finally to add insult to injury, they kept screwing up the billing by misspelling her name and billing us instead of insurance. They actually completely lost our insurance information.
I wrote a complaint letter about all of these issues and received no response. I noticed a representative has been responding to complaints on here because the whole world can see them.
In conclusion, I hope they get their act together the next time I have an emergency.

Ugh. I hate updating to something more negative based on the same experience.
Pros:
Walgreens on site delivers to each room
Visiting hours are ²⁴⁄₇
Each room is private
That is it.
I came to the ER on a Sunday afternoon. I have a long history of epilepsy and had been seizure free for 12 yrs and off medication for 18 months. They did a CT of my brain, said I was fine, instructed me to see my primary care physician, and sent me on my way. We were not even five minutes off the property when I had another seizure. We went back.
I should point out that when I had been on meds in the past I would never go to the ER for having a seizure. They can’t do anything. I was not on any medication at this point though.
They, of course, recognize me right away and brought us back. They finally start an iv to pump some seizure meds into my system and admit me overnight for observation.
So why am I so upset and writing this update now? Oh yeah… They are billing me for both trips to the ER. The neurologist asked this week why they didn’t initially give me medication. I don’t know. I couldn’t answer him.

** Pre-​cursor: Not only does this hospital seem to have «two Unilocal categories» (as if somebody created a new entry for the same hospital location (perhaps to try and avoid the negative connotations for the original entry), but there seem to be dozens of negative 1 – 2 star reviews all allocated to the ‘filtered’ folder at the bottom of each page. PLEASE NOTE.
One last important note: Silver Cross is a community hospital — NOT a «teaching hospital» similar to the likes of Loyola, or CDH — and overall does NOT have anywhere near the accolades or experienced doctors that those two hospitals have. Just a fact. Some have stated this as a «state of the art hospital», that is inaccurate. Unless they are speaking about the architecture of the hospital.
Our family has had extensive experience with Silver Cross hospital the last 2– 3 years, as one of our family members has basically been ‘in and out’ of this hospital due to his health. Since Silver Cross hospital was the closest to where our family member lived, Silver Cross was the most convenient hospital to attend for his needs.
While the hospital is by no means ‘terrible’, our experiences for our dozens upon dozens of times attending here have proven there is much improvement needed in many areas.
— Doctors can be good, others can be inexperienced or just lackadaisical. Even though the hospital is far from busy or full capacity, doctors basically come into see you «when they please» and can often leave loved ones and the sick person just ‘waiting and waiting and waiting’ around, even after nurses or other hospital staff instruct us that «we just paged the doctor and he/​she will be in in just a few minutes.»
— We have had experiences with rude nurses. While we are not implying ALL the nurses there are rude, but a small handful are. One time, our relative was in the washroom and had pushed one of the buttons requesting help. The light started blinking outside of the room’s door. Although we did not know why at the time (because we were waiting in the hall-​way) the light was blinking, we watched it blink for minutes and minutes until finally, an older nurse casually walks by. We asked the nurse «what does this blinking light mean» in a friendly tone, and the nurse replied in a rude tone, «well that means the light is blinking.». We were like — okay? Just rude. The nurse did attend to our relative, but her approach was not really ‘nurse like.’
(NOTE: The nurses in the intensive care unit we have always found to be very friendly and very professional.)
— Other times, while waiting and waiting and waiting, one of us would go out to the hallway and walk by the nurses/​doctors station set up right alongside the hallway. We would ask what was going on, or if a nurse would be coming into the room for such and such, as we had requested assistance awhile ago. Some of the nurses would be snarky and make silly comments to us like, «well, you guys with all this concern should become one of us!.» We just found that arrogant and silly. The nurses were NOT running around with their heads cut off or even remotely busy, and in fact were just sitting casually in this little area doing what appeared to be data-​entry work in the computers.
— There have been other instances with one doctor’s diagnosis conflicting with the others, and even then still — other doctor’s medicine regimens conflicting with the first or second doctor’s regimens — as if nobody was on the same page with the patient or «nobody knew anything», despite all of this history being in the computers and charts. Very dis-​organized in this regard, also.
(** Several doctors have tried to «push» dialysis onto our relative, when 3 – 4 other doctors at Loyola have ALL said «they are wrong, his numbers are NOT near dialysis level yet .» Some Loyola doctors have said that other hospitals will sometimes try to «push money making procedures onto patients when it isn’t medically necessary». Just food for thought).
— Wait times. From waiting for nurses or doctors to come into rooms to waiting to be discharged, it seems very slow and overly unorganized. We could be told a doctor will be in «in about 15 minutes» to be waiting restlessly for literally 2+ hours! When we would inquire with the nurses — as mentioned above — we would be snapped at in some cases as if we were ‘intruding’ on them! At an un-​crowded, laid back hospital — this is unacceptable.
ONE LAST NOTE: Our relative was released TOO EARLY — TWICE, without anybody doing an obvious head-​to-​toe final evaluation. He ended up back into the hospital (the second time around — at Loyola — with severe celucitas on his foot and STILL with pneumonia — even sicker) within 48 hours. Judge for yourself…
Silver Cross is not a terrible hospital, but please be weary of all these perfecto-​type, 5 star reviews you read by patients who only utilized this hospital maybe ‘once in their lives’, or for minor/​temporary situations.

Considering that no one likes going to the hospital, my first experience at the new location of Silver Cross was not bad at all.
Since I only stayed a few hours because I was having an out-​patient procedure, I can’t comment on the food or what’s it like staying long-​term. But I can tell you that the Procedural Care Unit on the second floor is very clean, comfortable and up-​to-​date, with private rooms for patient prep and recovery instead of a general recovery area, which is nice. My room was ready for me right away, so I didn’t even have to wait in the lounge. (My husband, who had to wait there while I was getting prepped, reported it was very nice.)
Of course, you still have to wear the stupid clown-​gown that hangs open in the back and get an IV and go through all of the other inconveniences that medical treatment involves. Fortunately, all of the nurses, doctors, and technicians I had were very friendly and competent and didn’t make it any worse than it had to be. (Except for the lady — maybe a volunteer — who initially showed me to the wrong room.)
The only drawback to the private recovery room was the toilet, which was not in a separate area with a door but located right in the same room as the bed, under the sink (although they did have a privacy curtain you could use). I know it probably saved some bucks to locate it there, but what about the hygienic aspects? I couldn’t help thinking of microscopic feces spewing into the air (and possibly onto the bed) every time someone flushes it.
Luckily, I didn’t have to use the toilet since I’d been on a total fast for the whole morning, so I didn’t actually have to worry about spewing feces that day — but it’s something to keep in mind for future visits.
Aside from that, however, my Silver Cross experience was quick, efficient, and as hassle-​free as a hospital can be. And of course, it helps that it’s only 3 miles away from my house.

Very impressed. I have been here multiple times in its short existence in New Lenox. Had testing, blood work, surgery, ER visits, doctor appts, etc so far so I feel like I know a lot about the different areas. Very clean and friendly staff throughout.
Had surgeon Gamigami for abdominal surgery in May. LOVE HIM!
Had to go to ER for other reasons and I was also impressed with how fast I was seen and taken care of and back home.
I have nothing negative at all to say. I think they have definitely improved from the Joliet location which was dingy and old.
They are very up to date with their technology both for testing and patient leisure in the rooms and waiting rooms.

Ack. A family member of mine was brought here and had a completely different type of experience than the one I had just a couple weeks before. The nurse I dealt with was rude and speaking very meanly to coworkers right in front of me, and the treatment they administered was right in theory but executed incorrectly, causing more damage. Luckily, he was transferred to a different hospital.
Even though I had a good experience, based on this situation, I will avoid Silver Cross as much as possible.