Hosps start on backlog of urgent non-COV cases

New York hospitals have started to resume urgent medical procedures that were put on hold amid the coronavirus crisis — but some say they are scrambling to deal with the backlog.

Northwell Health, which runs New York’s largest hospital system, is rescheduling more than 12,000 non-coronavirus procedures now deemed urgent.

“We have a whole clinical team that is trying to prioritize which of these cases needs to happen sooner rather than later,” Terry Lynam, a spokesman for Northwell Health, told The Post. “We’re trying to address that backlog of cases.”

A procedure is classified as urgent if a delay of more than two or three months could result in longterm negative health implications for the patient, according to

Lynam. This includes, but is not limited to, melanoma surgeries, gynecologic oncology, urologic surgeries, aortic aneurysm or severe peripheral artery disease.

Elective surgeries in New York remain suspended for now until the governor and state health officials deem otherwise. However, even these procedures can become more pressing as they continue to be postponed, adding to the backlog.

“In some instances, because of a prolonged delay, an elective procedure can elevate to medically necessary,” said Dr. Andrew W. Brotman, executive vice president and chief clinical officer at NYU Langone Health, which has also resumed procedures that have been put on the back burner during the pandemic.