As Kettering Health Network continues to address the needs of our patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, we are looking ahead to the potential of postponing procedures should our volume of COVID-19 cases increase at a rapid rate. If the network determines that cases must be postponed, surgeons will be notified via MatchMD as early as possible. Surgeons will be responsible to communicate the postponement with their office staff and patients. Physicians should continue to evaluate any patient that can be safely sent home the day of procedure to avoid observation and overnight stays.
The network is aware that postponement of cases will create challenges for physicians and patients and is working diligently to try to avoid this option. Our goal is to protect hospital beds as long as possible. Outpatient procedures will not be postponed unless resources are severely limited, and urgent and emergent procedures are not expected to be affected.
In the event procedure postponements are required, the following general priority will be followed:
- Elective procedures requiring an ICU bed
- Elective procedures requiring a hospital bed postoperatively, including procedures that require one or more nights of stay
Kettering Health Network is committed to keeping our patients and staff safe during these challenging times while being good stewards of our resources.