MA Hospitals Told To Reduce Elective Surgeries As Cases Surge

MASSACHUSETTS — Hospitals with limited capacity should reduce elective surgeries, the state Department of Public Health said in guidance updated Tuesday.

The directive comes as the state watches an increase in COVID-19-related hospitalizations since the start of November. As of Monday, the seven-day average of COVID-19 hospitalizations was 647, up more than 20 percent since the beginning of the month. Of the 708 coronavirus patients hospitalized in Massachusetts on Monday, 149 were in intensive care. Of those, 81 were on ventilators.

In addition to the higher case count, hospitals across the Bay State are dealing with staffing shortages heading into the holiday season, when hospitalizations typically increase.

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"There is a critical staffing shortage across the health care system, largely due to staff shortages stemming from the pandemic," DPH said. "The staffing shortage has also contributed to the loss of approximately 500 medical/surgical and ICU hospital beds across the Commonwealth."

The directive takes effect Monday and includes non-essential, non-urgent scheduled procedures, where a delay will not result in adverse outcomes to the patient’s health.