State DOH temporarily halts Fox electives
A.O. Fox Memorial Hospital is among the more than 30 hospitals around New York State required to halt certain elective procedures temporarily under an Executive Order issued in November by Governor Kathy Hochul.
Citing concerns over capacity strain and emergency Covid-19 bed availability, the Governor’s order encompasses facilities with a staffed bed capacity of less than 10 percent. The state’s Department of Health delivered official word to affected hospitals late in the evening on Monday, December 6; the order takes effect Thursday, December 9.
Department guidance issued last week requires all facilities in the state to continue to submit capacity and occupancy data on a daily basis. Using that information, DOH will determine “Impacted Facilities” weekly and similarly halt elective procedures at those facilities for a period of at least two weeks.
Beginning the week of December 13, the Department will review each Wednesday’s data on Thursday, then inform “Impacted Facilities” on Friday of their status. Procedure limitations would take effect the following Thursday.
The roster of affected locations may therefore change with each report; procedure suspensions are slated to last for a period of two weeks. The Governor’s order currently expires January 15, 2022.
The DOH guidance does not apply to single specialty facilities (for example, a cancer treatment facility), non-hospital owned ambulatory surgery centers, office-based surgery practices, or free-standing diagnostic and treatment centers. Unlike a 2020 executive order from Governor Andrew Cuomo, certain elective procedures remain allowed even in hospitals included on the December 6 roster.
Other hospitals in the general region affected by the EO include facilities in Little Falls, Utica, Albany, and Syracuse.
Bassett Healthcare System Interim Manager of Marketing and Communications Gabrielle Argo said Tuesday they are working with providers to ensure continuity of care for patients affected by the temporary order.
“Patients impacted by this order will hear from their practitioner,” she said. “We’ll be working with them to relocate or reschedule elective procedures covered by the order.”
Ms. Argo said Bassett is working across its system and with other facilities to “make sure we have beds and staffing available.”
“Patients may see delays along the way as we redeploy staff to places of high need,” she said.
“The difference with this executive order is that it’s not as cut-and-dry as previous orders,” she said. “It really is on a daily basis as to what we can provide and where we can do it.”
She urged patients to stay in touch with their providers for updates if necessary.
Is the “capacity” strain caused by lack of employees? The same employees that were FIRED for not getting the shot? The same employees that worked THROUGH the COVID crisis?