Hospitals bringing back some procedures
Diagnostics, surgeries return for patients — with new precautions
Hospitals across the area are slowly reopening operating rooms and diagnostic labs for certain patients and procedures.
As health systems prepared for the waves of COVID-19 patients starting in March, nonessential medical and dental services were taken off the table by the state’s stay-at-home order.
They’re defined as procedures not necessary to address a medical emergency, or to preserve the health and safety of a patient.
Now with two months of operating in a pandemic under their belts, southeast Michigan’s health care providers are beginning to implement phased reopenings of medical services under CDC guidelines and state orders.
At Pontiac’s St. Joseph Mercy Oakland Hospital, patients can now come in again for mammograms, cancer operations, vascular bypass surgery, MRI and CTE scans not related to a life-threatening condition.
“We have been closely watching the experience in Michigan and the curve in
southeast Michigan and the state is starting to flatten,” Shannon Striebich, president of St. Joseph Mercy Oakland, said. “We have asked patients to put off scheduled surgeries since March. We felt that now was a good time to ramp back up some of the time sensitive procedures.”
Trinity Health Michigan, parent to St. Joseph Mercy Oakland, saw about 25% of its surgical volume return over the course of last week. As a guideline, Trinity and other health systems in the area are looking to phasein procedures that, if delayed, would pose a significant risk to the patient.
Restrictions for visitors to the hospital are still in place as COVID-free zones separate not only patients, but also medical staff, with screeners at entrance doors to direct traffic.
The hospital is also testing every patient for COVID-19 prior to an elective surgery. If the patient is positive for the virus, the surgery will be postponed until they’ve recovered.
That’s possible now largely due to rapid testing, according to Striebich. In early March, tests results could take a week to 10 days to come back. Now they can see results within one or two days.
“In March, we didn’t have the kind of lab availability that we do now. The state and commercial labs were incredibly bogged down with the testing volume,” Striebich said.
The hospital is tracking its test supplies daily to accommodate for upcoming surgeries.
Here’s a look at what other area health care systems are currently providing:
McLaren Oakland and McLaren Macomb
Medical diagnostic imaging is open at McLaren Oakland, but with a modified schedule to reduce the amount of patients in waiting areas.
Outpatient clinics, such as the Clarkston Breast Center and McLaren Oakland cancer centers, are open and operating at full capacity.
All outpatient surgery patients are being tested for COVID-19 at both McLaren Oakland and Mclaren Macomb. McLaren Oakland is at about 60% surgery capacity due reduced demand, a hospital spokesperson said. Some clinics and labs are also running at lower patient volumes, such as the Clarkston Pain Clinic and the hospital’s cardiac catheterization lab.
Outpatient physical, speech and occupational therapy services are expected to resume on May 18, or later, at the Pontiac, Oxford and Clarkston locations. The pulmonary clinic and outpatient upper gastrointestinal endoscopy services in Pontiac, the Clarkston Sleep Lab and cardiac rehabilitation will follow suit.
At McLaren Macomb, outpatient surgeries are being limited to procedures that last two hours or less. Eldery patients and those with multiple medical conditions are being asked to postpone procedures if they can. Radiation and medical oncology services are open, as well as diagnostic mammography and biopsies. Outpatient diagnostic imaging is taking place at the hospital when possible.
Time sensitive pain management, vascular procedures and interventional radiology are available, but patients must be tested for the virus 72-hours beforehand.
Essential invasive cardiology procedures are open for patients, while time sensitive procedures will be evaluated on a case-bycase basis.
Beaumont Health
“We are increasing the number of time-sensitive, essential procedures,” Dr. Jeffrey Fischgrund, chief of clinical services at Beaumont Health, said.
Beaumont began accepting patients again for cancer biopsies in recent weeks, the Detroit News is reporting. The health system recommends calling your primary physician to check what’s open at each hospital. In general, patients can access: Orthopedics, cardiology, neurology, oncology, diagnostic imaging, kidney and liver transplants, birthing units, urgent care and emergency centers.
“Our doctors and caregivers have created a safe and secure environment where COVID-19 patients are treated in separate areas and great care is taken to prevent the spread of infection. We are highly trained in how to protect our patients, families and each other when caring for patients,” Fischgrund said.
A representative for Ascension Health stated that the health system has not yet begun its phased reopening for any procedures that were closed off due to COVID-19. Henry Ford Health System did not respond to a request for comment.