Everything old is new again – lucky to have the work…

While it seems that most of the world is trying to wish away the pandemic, healthcare continues to “fight the good fight” in this longest of sieges.

I understand that the data supports the impression that the current variants, etc., are somewhat less severe when you get it, but the transmissibility continues to swamp the healthcare system in various parts of the country (maybe all of ‘em – it’s tough to say for sure). I only have access to a very limited number of facilities, but it does seem like the numbers of COVID patients are resulting in reduced throughput and increasing loads in hospital emergency departments (seemingly regardless of size).

Last week, the American Hospital Association urged the department of Health & Human Services (HHS) to renew the Public Health Emergency (PHE) declaration, which was set to expire on January 16, 2022, to which HHS responded in the affirmative (https://aspr.hhs.gov/legal/PHE/Pages/COVID19-14Jan2022.aspx - glad someone still thinks this is still an emergency), so the existing 1135 blanket waivers are still in effect (here’s the link to the most recent update – November 2021 - I can find: https://www.cms.gov/files/document/covid-19-emergency-declaration-waivers.pdf - it still seems to require more effort than it should, but I don’t see it changing).

I know a lot of folks had to come up with some pretty inventive ways to increase capacity for dealing with infectious patients and I was wondering if folks have had cause to dust off those old schemes in order to deal with the current spikes. Of course, it may be that some folks never “stood down” from their creative remodels, but if temporary construction (which continues to be allowed through the blanket 1135 waiver process) is something you haven’t yet considered, you might find the information posted on the CHT blog (https://www.chthealthcare.com/blog/hospital-isolation-rooms ) worth looking at as a primer or at least a refresher.

I can’t help but think that expanded capacity is going to be in the mix for some time to come (if only because it has been with us for as long as it has) and even if you don’t need additional capacity right now, it seems to me that having a plan for doing so could only be helpful if another variant starts waving.

About the Author: Steve MacArthur is a safety consultant with The Greeley Company in Danvers, Mass. He brings more than 30 years of healthcare management and consulting experience to his work with hospitals, physician offices, and ambulatory care facilities across the country. He is also a contributing editor for Healthcare Safety Leader. Contact Steve at stevemacsafetyspace@gmail.com.