Elective surgeries are beginning to phase back into hospital operating rooms (ORs) this week as the COVID-19 curve continues to flatten across the nation. Our Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Casey Thomas, shares his insights on the state of surgeries in a post-COVID-19 world. Here’s what we can expect as the new “normal” pertaining to elective and emergent surgeries.
When it comes to the new state of surgeries in a post-COVID-19 world, one solution to the oncoming surgical surge includes adoption of the surgicalist model. There are several reasons to pivot to using Surgicalists. When put to action, hospitals embracing surgicalist services will experience increasing surgical volumes, improving ED-to-OR efficiencies, and increasing surgeon satisfaction levels. Surgeons managing both an elective practice and emergency call will prioritize their backlog of elective surgeries. As for the emergency call, Surgicalists will handle the emergent and urgent cases from the EDs, filling any open gaps in OR schedules with these surgeries.
