Olympia (Wash.) Orthopaedic Associates canceled all elective cases at local hospitals and is reprioritizing surgery center cases due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, according to a joint statement from managing partner William Peterson, MD, and CEO Ben Shah.
The statement, which was published on Thurston Talk, outlined steps the practice is taking to serve the best interests of patients, staff members and the community:
1. Making surgeons available to help with trauma and emergent cases in the hospital as needed
2. Prioritizing urgent cases at the surgery center and postponing other elective procedures
3. Expanding telemedicine services for patients
4. Screening patients for COVID-19 symptoms and risk factors before they enter the clinic
5. Triaging clinic appointments to limit patient volumes
6. Asking non-urgent new patients to wait for appointments until resources are replenished
7. Accepting orthopedic patients who need emergency care at the Rapid Orthopaedic Care facility in Olympia