State health department: Baby sent home from hospital with wrong family

MARION, Ill. (AP) -- A federal agency is investigating the case of a baby apparently sent home with the wrong family from a southern Illinois hospital.

Officials say the mistake happened in March at Heartland Regional Medical Center in Marion.

A spokeswoman for the state Department of Public Health says the hospital wasn't required to report the matter but it did on April 4th.

She says the state did an investigation on behalf of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. That's a federal agency that administers Medicare and Medicaid, under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Peter Leonis is a spokesman for the centers, and he says findings of the investigation may be available within weeks.

The hospital, meanwhile, isn't commenting, citing patient privacy laws.