Illinois hospitals’ financial struggles likely to continue into 2018 – Chicago Tribune

The list reads like a who’s who of hospital systems in the Chicago area: Advocate Health Care, Edward-Elmhurst Health, Centegra Health System. But it’s a list of hospitals systems that cut jobs this year to deal with financial pressures — not a list any hospital is eager to join. Hospitals in Illinois and across the country faced financial stresses this year and are likely to continue feeling the squeeze into 2018 and beyond, experts say. Those pressures could fuel more cuts, consolidation and changes to patient care and services.