On March 15, Intermountain Healthcare, as part of its initial COVID-19 response, announced it would postpone many elective surgeries and procedures. Since then, we have postponed more than 6,800 surgeries.
Our decision has not changed and is based on the need to:
- Reduce COVID-19 exposure to patients and caregivers
- Conserve PPE and other resources
- Redirect caregivers to care for COVID-19 patients
- Ensure hospital capacity for potential surge
Our clinical teams determine which surgeries are postponed based on guidance from the American College of Surgeons (ACS), the urgency of the patient’s condition, the level of community spread, and hospital surge projections. ACS guidelines classify surgical patients into three categories by acuity: elective (low), intermediate, and high acuity.
Since mid-March, our surgical teams have been evaluating all cases and identifying intermediate acuity patients whose surgeries could be safely postponed. Some patients have serious conditions that continue to progress, and our care needs to evolve with them. As the pandemic persists within our community, some of those patients have moved into the higher acuity category. Our plan always contemplated providing care for those in immediate need. Using the same criteria as in our original plan, patients in need will receive care and surgery. We continue to postpone all elective procedures.
We remain committed to following these guidelines as the best way to care for our patients, caregivers, and communities.