Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
As Virus Cases Soar, Hospitals Worry About Too Few Beds
The Wall Street Journal: Hospitals In Covid-19 Hot Spots Are Filling Up
As the pandemic pushes U.S. hospitals in the South and West near capacity, the urgent need for available beds has stranded patients in emergency rooms, scrambled ambulances and forced patients to relocate hundreds of miles to relieve overcrowded wards. In Arizona, hospitals are using a statewide transfer center to move 30 to 50 patients between hospitals each day, according to the director of the state’s Department of Health Services. In Florida, hospital giant HCA Healthcare Inc. isn’t accepting patients transferred from other overflowing hospitals. In Houston, the daily hunt for empty beds has left critically ill patients to wait hours or days in emergency rooms for vacancies. (Evans, Walker and Armour, 7/15)
CNN: US Coronavirus: Officials Seek Options For When Hospitals Run Out Of ICU Beds
The shortage of hospital beds for coronavirus patients in some areas of the US has officials looking at where they will put people when more come in. In one Texas city, the federal government is going to turn a hotel into what is called a surge hospital. In Georgia, the governor said the state is working unceasingly to prevent hospital bed shortages. (Almasy, Holcombe and Croft, 7/15)
San Francisco Chronicle: Here’s What Happens If Bay Area Hospitals Run Out Of Space, And How Close They Are To Capacity Right Now
As coronavirus cases fill hospital beds in record numbers across the Bay Area, health care and government leaders warn that a continued surge could edge facilities close to capacity. For now, regional hospitals say they remain in a stable place and are able to manage the influx of patients. But that could change, in a dramatic way. (Moench, 7/15)
Modern Healthcare: Hospitals' ED Volumes Rebounding Slower Than Other Areas
Hospitals' outpatient and inpatient volumes recovered significantly in June from their April lows, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced most facilities to suspend procedures, a new report finds. Outpatient volumes were back up to 93% of their pre-COVID levels during the last week in June, according to a report from revenue-cycle management provider TransUnion Healthcare, which gleaned data from more than 500 hospitals across the country. Inpatient volumes were 92% of pre-COVID levels during that time, and emergency department visits were 75%. The pre-COVID comparison period was the first eight weeks of the year. (Bannow, 7/15)
