Bringing patients back next hurdle
Hospitals, clinics plan how to restore all services after thousands of postponed visits, elective surgeries
Health systems in the Milwaukee area are beginning to perform elective procedures and provide other care that has been delayed since mid-March.
Aurora Health Care, Children’s Wisconsin and other health systems also are encouraging patients to seek needed care.
“Right now, we know that people are delaying the care that they need,” said Mary Beth Kingston, chief nursing officer for Advocate Aurora Health, the health system that includes Aurora.
Many patients have held off on getting care because they were concerned about being exposed to the COVID-19 virus. Health systems stopped doing elective procedures, such as knee and hip replacements, cataract surgery and radiology tests about eight weeks ago as they prepared for a projected surge of COVID-19 patients. They also limited visits to their clinics to help prevent the spread of the virus.
They now have more confidence that their intensive care units will be not be overwhelmed by an onslaught of coronavirus patients, though maintaining adequate supplies of personal protective gear, such as gloves and masks, remains a concern.
Despite that growing confidence, the resumption of elective procedures and other services will take place gradually, they say.
“It’s very fluid because we need to look at all the indicators and make sure we are balancing the needs of our kids, the safety of our employees, the safety of the kids and their families,” said Peggy Troy, the president and CEO of Children’s Wisconsin.
Children’s Wisconsin has begun to schedule a backlog of 1,500 surgeries that were postponed.