Barton Health could be called on to accept patients from outside the area

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Hospitals across California have been experiencing the effects of the coronavirus, with overflowing intensive care units (ICUs) and a workforce stretched to its limits.

On January 5, 2021, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced a plan to reduce pressure on strained hospital systems and redistribute the responsibility of medical care across the state so patients can continue to receive lifesaving care.

This mandate is meant to share resources and staffing related to the current COVID-19 surge.

This means patients from southern and central California, where the ICU bed availability has been at zero percent for days, could be sent to northern California where they are currently seeing 35 percent availability. Even the region that South Lake Tahoe is part of, the Sacramento region, isn't completely full but has 9.7 percent availability (the remining region, the Bay Area is at .7 percent).

In South Lake Tahoe, Barton Health has always partnered with regional hospitals to coordinate patient care, including patient transfers to or from other facilities as appropriate. The transfer of patients is based on ensuring they receive the best care possible is standard practice within healthcare.

Hospitals will now work with their county’s Medical and Health Operational Area Coordinator (MHOAC) to transfer or receive patients across California hospitals.

"If our hospital is deemed appropriate for a patient transfer, physicians from each location will discuss patient specifics to confirm our facility is the best care environment for the patient," said Barton Health President/CEO Dr. Clint Purvance. "Currently, MHOAC has not requested Barton accept any patients to our acute care unit based on this order."

Before the January 5 order, Dr. Purvance said Barton would accept or deny patient transfers based on a number of factors including feasibility based on current patient capacity, staffing, and ability to provide the best care for a specific patient.

"If we continue to see an alarming increase of COVID-19 patient admissions at hospitals statewide, some facilities may not be able to provide the critical and necessary care Californians need, whether those patients have COVID-19 or another medical condition,” said Dr. Tomás J. Aragón, CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer. “This order helps ensure that patients continue to receive appropriate medical services by better distributing available resources across the state to prevent overwhelming specific hospitals, counties and regions. As we continue to see the effects of holiday travel and gatherings in our emergency rooms and ICUs, we cannot underscore enough how critically important it is for Californians to stay home, wear masks and avoid getting together with people outside their immediate households to slow this alarming surge of hospitalizations.”

To preserve services for the sickest patients, the public health order requires some non-essential and non-life-threatening surgeries to be delayed in counties with 10 percent or less of ICU capacity under the Regional Stay at Home Order where the regional ICU capacity is at 0 percent. Examples of procedures that may be delayed include carpal tunnel release and non-urgent spine surgeries. Surgeries for patients who have serious and urgent medical conditions will continue. Examples of procedures that will continue include serious cancer removal and necessary heart surgeries. The order will remain in effect for at least three weeks from January 5 and will continue until rescinded.