In an executive order issued March 19, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey mandated that providers delay elective surgeries to conserve personal protective equipment for those treating COVID-19 patients.
Since then, the Surgical Institute of Tucson (Ariz.) has scaled back services, spine surgeon and owner Kai-Uwe Lewandrowski, MD, told 3TV/CBS 5.
"At the moment, we are basically in limbo with a growing number of patients that we can't attend to," he said. "We've toed the line ever since the executive order came out."
Dr. Lewandrowski is worried that he'll lose patients to other healthcare facilities still performing surgeries regularly, he told reporters. Although the executive order leaves room for physician discretion, Dr. Lewandrowski said he's uncomfortable making judgment calls when a misstep could mean state action against his license or business.
The state should allow surgery centers to operate one day a week during the COVID-19 pandemic to minimize gray area while still preserving needed equipment, Dr. Lewandrowski suggested.
Other providers, including The CORE Institute in Phoenix, seem more comfortable making judgment calls. The week after the order was issued, multiple patients visited the CORE Specialty Hospital in Phoenix on a single day, CBS 5 Investigates found.
The CORE Institute CMO Arash Araghi, DO, told reporters the practice is only accepting patients in urgent need of care.
"The same procedure can be done on two different patients. And in one patient, it can be considered elective, and on the other patient, it can be considered urgent," Dr. Araghi said.