Hospitals and health systems across the nation are calling on healthcare providers, including specialists, to care for COVID-19 patients on the front lines.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has requested healthcare professionals come out of retirement to support the ongoing needs of the state's population affected by the coronavirus. In some cases, this means retired specialists taking on virtual visits or telehealth calls for patients with chronic conditions; other times, it's with individuals managing less severe cases of COVID-19 from home.
NBC News is reporting in New York that surgeons are also being asked to treat patients with COVID-19. Orthopedic surgeons, cardiologists and others have been asked to treat patients with COVID-19 as the surge in the state continues.
On March 25, Gov. Cuomo also issued an executive order limiting liability related to COVID-19 medical treatment. Physicians and nurses are immune from the ordinary negligence associated with COVID-19 treatment, according to the law firm Barclay Damon.
Orthopedic surgeons in Fishersville, Va.-based Augusta Health are also pitching in at the hospital's emergency rooms after elective procedures were canceled, according to the News Leader. One orthopedic surgeon interviewed for the report said he had been on call five of six nights and works alongside front line physicians who care for COVID-19 patients.
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