COVID-19
On the other side of the curve With a continued reduction in COVID-19 cases, one health system was busy mapping out next steps to resuming elective surgeries and procedures
At its high point, Ochsner Health was located in one of the nation’s COVID-19
concerns. Many people with medical issues
hotspots. The New Orleans-based health system had confirmed inpatient cases that
were fearful to leave their house. “That
reached into the mid-800s.
has significant implications,” said Thomas. “We’ve heard of people who have had strokes who delayed care out of fear. Minor
But there were positive signs by
heart attacks as delayed care. People with
mid-April. On April 17, the number of
broken hips that have delayed care for mul-
inpatient COVID-19 cases had lowered
tiple days. That is not a good situation.”
to 573. Another positive trend was more
Dr. Robert Hart, chief medical of-
people being discharged home who were
ficer, Ochsner Health, said ER physicians
COVID positive. Ochsner discharged its
had seen cases where a patient with a
1,500th COVID patient by April 20, just
heart attack stayed at home a few days
over one month after Ochsner admitted
rather than coming in for treatment. On
its first COVID-19 patient on March 9.
the surgery side when the stay-at-home
More patients were coming off ventilators and fewer were having to go on them. Warner Thomas, president and CEO
order was in place, Ochsner was only perbut these patients still need care. Cancer
forming emergency surgeries. “There are
surgery, heart surgeries and other things
some tiers of surgeries we laid out that
of Ochsner Health, said the health system
have been delayed, so it’s time to get back
could be put off and some that couldn’t,”
was working with local and state officials
to taking care of folks.”
Hart said. “We’ve got to begin consider-
on how to open back up some of its op-
ing getting people back on the schedule to
erations. “We’re working towards getting
get them taken care of before we wind up
ready to get back to do other surgeries
Delay of care
or procedures that we’ve had to delay,”
Thomas said one of the fears from a public
he told media members in a conference
health perspective is there were people de-
right precautions in its ERs and clinics
call. “We delayed them during the peak,
laying their medical care due to COVID-19
by temperature checking everyone that
doing more harm than good out of this.” Thomas said Ochsner was taking the
Dynamic Ventilator Reserve Program Ochsner Health was participating in the Dynamic Ventilator Reserve Program that has been put together by the COVID Task Force at the White House in conjunction with the American Hospital Association. The Dynamic Ventilator Reserve Program is “a collaborative voluntary effort led by a group of U.S. hospitals and health systems that has created an online inventory of
22
ventilators and associated supplies, such as tubing and filters, to support the overall needs of combatting the COVID-19 pandemic,” according to the AHA. “Hospitals and health systems will input into the database available equipment that they are able to lend to others in the country. Providers are then able to access this virtual inventory as their need for ventilators increases.”
June 2020 | The Journal of Healthcare Contracting
