Specialty Services

Sometimes a patient requires more specialized care. Illinois Masonic is a comprehensive full-service 507-bed hospital that provides both acute and primary care services to a diverse and growing North Side community. It is also one of 280 major teaching hospitals in the U.S., and as a result, attracts a wide range of skilled medical specialists who provide technologically advanced care in a compassionate manner. Physicians work directly with the patient, family and the primary care physician to ensure the patient is informed and comfortable with his or her treatment and options. The following services are offered at Illinois Masonic and at satellite locations, providing comprehensive care close to home.

Audiology, Speech and Swallowing
Licensed/certified speech language pathologists provide diagnostic and therapy services for individuals beginning at birth with any type of speech, language or swallowing problems. Areas of specialty include oral-motor feeding difficulties, autism, apraxia, aphasia, traumatic brain injury, stuttering, voice, largyngectomy including tracheo-esphogeal voice prosthesis, language/literacy including training on Fast Forward, cerebral palsy, cleft palate, foreign accent reduction and stuttering. Diagnostics and therapy for all services are available with English or Spanish speaking speech language pathologists.

Center for Better Hearing
At Illinois Masonic's Center for Better Hearing, licensed audiologists provide comprehensive audiological evaluations for children, adults and people with special needs. Services include: hearing testing, hearing aid evaluations, fittings and repairs, tinnitus consultations, custom swim plugs, and noise protection including musician earplugs. Diagnostic testing is also available for vertigo and dizziness. Illinois Masonic was the first hospital in Illinois to routinely test the hearing of all newborn babies and the first to test and use the Ero-Scan, an Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE) Screening Unit that quickly and painlessly checks a newborn's hearing while he or she sleeps in the mother's room.

ENT/Facial Cosmetic Procedure Suites
Procedure rooms equipped with state-of-the-art technology are available in the same location as the private practice physician offices to provide safe, modern and minimally invasive treatments. In office non-surgical treatments and assessments can be performed relatively quickly and without general anesthesia for sinusitis, snoring and sleep disorders, repeated ear infections, swallowing disorders and heartburn, and facial laser resurfacing.

Gastroenterology (G.I.) Lab
The G.I. Lab works with patients to determine the cause of gastrointestinal problems and stomach disorders and then recommends treatment. Services include therapeutic and diagnostic upper and lower gastrointestinal endoscopy. In addition, the latest in G.I. Motility services is available.

HIV/AIDS Services
Illinois Masonic has a long and distinguished history of caring for patients with HIV and AIDS. A team of more than 80 healthcare professionals in inpatient and outpatient settings help people with HIV/AIDS live healthier, more fulfilling lives. The treatment of this complex illness has changed dramatically due to effective "cocktail" drug therapies, better healthcare services and improved education and prevention efforts. Research evaluating new anti-retroviral agents and the testing of an AIDS vaccine is ongoing.

MRI Institute
A modern medical marvel, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a powerful tool with far-reaching diagnostic and research potential. It gives three-dimensional views of the brain, heart, spine, central nervous system, bile ducts and urinary tract quickly, non-invasively and in precise anatomic detail. Illinois Masonic Medical Center's MRI Institute has a sophisticated high field imaging system which features a compact magnet with a shorter bore, allowing patients to have a comfortable scan in a wider machine.

Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapy provides evaluation and treatment to patients whose lives have been disrupted by physical injury or illness caused by a stroke, head injury or car accident. Occupational therapists also help patients with developmental problems like cerebral palsy or autism, as well as working with the aging population and people with social and psychological difficulties. Occupational therapists assist each person in achieving an independent, productive and satisfying life by activities of daily living and several specialized techniques.

Physical Therapy
Illinois Masonic Medical Center provides outpatient physical therapy services for the treatment of orthopedic injuries and neurologic disorders for both adults and children. Early intervention services are available for children with developmental delays. Common diagnoses treated are low back and neck pain, as well as post surgical therapy for the knee, hip and shoulder.

Radiology/Medical Imaging
Illinois Masonic offers a complete range of radiology services and testing, including general x-ray, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans using state-of-the-art equipment, computed tomography (CT) scans, nuclear medicine, angiography, ultrasound, mammography, and DEXA or Bone density scans.

Surgical Intensive Care Unit
A state-of-the-art 20-bed Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU) combines three intensive care units, trauma, cardiovascular and general surgery, into one technologically advanced unit. It features such innovations as total care beds which easily convert to chair position, ceiling-suspended "power arms" that support critical care equipment and an integrated system of glass doors which allow for better patient observation and family privacy. A direct room-to-room communication and information management system, the ability for a patient to locate his or her nurse quickly or for staff to locate staff, is a new technological feature within the SICU.

Urology Procedure Suites
The Urology Procedure Suites provide outpatient diagnostic testing for male and female incontinence, diseases of the prostate and bladder, kidney stones, erectile dysfunction and male infertility.