R
ecent spikes in
coronavirus infec-
tion rates in Florida,
Texas, Arizona and
California forced
some hospitals to pause elective
surgeries in order to allocate their
resources to the care of COVID-19
patients. The temporary bans on
non-emergent cases got the atten-
tion of surgical professionals
across the country who are still
recovering from the nationwide
shutdown of elective procedures in
March during the initial wave of
the pandemic. The shutdown was a
devastating blow to sidelined surgi-
cal professionals whose livelihoods
were put on hold and patients who
suddenly learned procedures that
would improve their quality of life
— or perhaps save it — were
deemed optional. The govern-
ment's decision to suspend non-
emergent surgeries was the right
call at the time. There were too
many unanswered questions about
the risks associated with the coron-
avirus to allow invasive procedures
to proceed.
"No one had experience in man-
aging surgical care during a pandemic," says Lisa
Rhodes, MPP, chief administrative officer of periop-
erative services at UC San Diego Health. "There was
a lot of fear of the unknown. We wanted to ensure
the safety of our staff and patients, but no one knew
what that meant."
Elective cases were allowed to resume in May
and surgical facilities quickly adapted to new poli-
cies calling for COVID-19 testing, daily screenings,
universal mask wearing and social distancing.
Surgeries have been performed safely for months
during the pandemic, causing many surgical leaders
to push back against the possibility of future post-
ponements of elective procedures.
"We now have months of experience in how to
operate safely in a COVID world," says Ms. Rhodes.
"There's a reason why patients decide to have sur-
gery. We're now well positioned to provide the care
they need."
The fundamental elements of outpatient surgery
— efficient care, same-day discharge, specialized
teams who care for relatively healthy patients —
make ambulatory care settings ideally suited for
the pandemic.
"It's safer to have hips and knees replaced in our
hospital or surgery center than it is to go to
Walmart," says Richard Berger, MD, a joint replace-
ment specialist at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush
and an assistant professor at Rush University
Medical Center in Chicago.
A U G U S T 2 0 2 0 • O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y . N E T • 2 1
MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL Orthopedic surgeon Steven Beldner, MD, meets with Ashley Cruz before treating nerve damage
in her hand at Manhattan Eye, Ear & Throat Hospital in New York City.
Northwell
Health
