Three former surgical managers in Rockford have filed a whistleblower lawsuit this month accusing OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center of practices they say endangered patients and led to improper billing for operating-room time. The complaint, lodged in Winnebago County Circuit Court, also alleges that staff who raised concerns faced retaliation.
The plaintiffs — Sofia Gudino, Tina Peppers and Cindamon Proffitt — worked in the hospital’s operating rooms: two as OR managers and one as director of surgical services. According to the court filing, their responsibilities included overseeing safety protocols and ensuring regulatory compliance in surgical suites.
The lawsuit sets out a series of incidents within the neurosurgery service that the three describe as “repeated and dangerous safety violations.” It claims, for example, that in early February 2025 two physicians left a patient unattended on the operating table for about an hour while the patient remained under anesthesia. The complaint also alleges a separate occasion, more than two months later, when a surgeon left a patient anesthetized for roughly 37 minutes to attend a meeting.
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- Unattended anesthesia: Patients allegedly were left anesthetized on the OR table for extended periods.
- Excessive fatigue: The filing recounts a 2023 incident in which a surgeon reportedly fell asleep at a microscope after a long overnight shift.
- Ignored safety reports: Managers say they alerted supervisors and used formal reporting channels but were dismissed and discouraged from filing further complaints.
- Alleged retaliation: Plaintiffs contend they were stripped of authority, required to work weekends without pay and otherwise marginalized after raising concerns.
- Constructive discharge claim: The three resigned in spring 2025, asserting their departures were effectively forced by the hospital’s conduct — a violation they link to the Illinois Whistleblower Act.
The suit also raises a financial complaint: because operating rooms are billed by the minute, the plaintiffs allege the extended unattended times led to inappropriate charges to patients. The filing frames those billing practices as both unethical and potentially fraudulent.
Attorney Antonio L. Jeffrey, who represents the former employees, told local media his clients felt compelled to leave and that the lawsuit is intended to hold hospital leadership accountable and protect public safety. The plaintiffs described the process as emotionally taxing and said they pursued legal action after what they portray as a sustained failure to respond internally.
OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center did not provide a comment when contacted for this report.
What happens next: the case remains active in Winnebago County Circuit Court. If the court allows the whistleblower claims to proceed, the litigation could prompt closer scrutiny of surgical safety practices and billing procedures at the hospital — and potentially trigger regulatory reviews depending on the outcome.
Why this matters now: The allegations touch on immediate patient-safety risks and transparency in hospital billing at a time when oversight of surgical and billing practices is receiving heightened public attention. For patients and families, the case raises questions about accountability when frontline staff raise alarms and how hospitals respond when safety concerns are reported.
