Ryan Nicol
The Florida Society of Anesthesiologists is signing onto a proposed plan that would lead to the return of elective surgeries in the state of Florida.
On Thursday, Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state needs to “get these elective procedures back online.” The Governor made those comments during a conference call of the Re-Open Florida Task Force working group considering Agriculture, Finance, Government, Healthcare, Management and Professional Services.
He continued by arguing, “I worry we go much longer than what I’ve already done, and I think you could start seeing some negative impacts.”
DeSantis had previously ordered a stop to elective surgeries on March 20 to ensure hospitals were not overburdened and necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) was preserved.
But the reduction in those nonemergency procedures across the country has impacted hospitals.
Jackson Memorial Hospital had announced a series of pay cuts and furloughs due to a drop in non-emergency care amid the novel coronavirus outbreak. Carlos Migoya, Chief Executive of Jackson Hospital, eventually pulled back on those changes.
Still, that decision wasn’t permanent. And DeSantis hinted other hospitals may struggle too if the stream of income from elective surgeries remains halted.
On Wednesday, the Florida Hospital Association (FHA) released a four-step plan to resume those nonessential surgeries. That plan was formulated in consultation with the American Society of Anesthesiologists, the American College of Surgeons, the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses and the American Hospital Association.
That plan would include awaiting a sustained reduction in COVID-19 cases in the state. Hospitals would then institute widespread screening to prevent spread of the disease and ensure PPE equipment was in sufficient supply. They would then set up a process to restore certain elective surgeries. The final step would be full resumption of those procedures.
Florida Society of Anesthesiologists President Christian Diez released a statement endorsing that FHA plan.
Diez said “the reason to resume these surgeries is to help patients who are suffering from a wide variety of painful or chronic medical conditions for whom the operating room or interventional pain clinic provides hope of relief. Additionally, other Floridians may need diagnostic procedures to better determine their course of medical treatment.”
Diez argued the plan “protects patients and front-line health care workers while at the same time responsibly conserves limited medical resources. The FSA also urges the strong consideration for COVID-19 testing of all patients prior to any elective surgery.”
