Reopening Florida: Broward Health To Begin Rescheduling Priority Elective Procedures
FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) -- Florida hospitals want to start performing elective surgeries again and Broward Health plans to resume scheduling patients for priority medical and surgical procedures, pending the state lifting restrictions of elective surgeries.
These are elective procedures that were previously postponed due to COVID-19 and will follow CDC and state guidelines.
"Countless South Floridians have had their medical care postponed due to the pandemic, and we are carefully laying the groundwork to resume a limited scope of procedures for those patients," said Gino Santorio, president and CEO of Broward Health. "The health and safety of our caregivers and patients is our number one priority, and all necessary measures are being taken to help ensure the system safely resuming elective procedures."
Safety precautions, including screenings of those who enter the hospitals, continuing the use of dedicated COVID-19 units and universal masking, continue to help ensure the well-being of caregivers and patients.
Broward Health also has the bed capacity to care for both COVID-19 and elective patients.
Gov. Ron DeSantis in March issued an executive order prohibiting hospitals from performing elective surgeries during the crisis to ensure the state's 60,214 hospital beds would be able to handle the forecast peak.
Elective surgeries generate significant revenue for hospitals.
Broward Health says the system is working closely with medical providers to reschedule postponed procedures and ensure the community has access to the medical care they so desperately need. Physicians will use guidelines from the American College of Surgeons to determine if patients qualify based on their individual needs.
