Arkansas Surgical Hospital Continues to Focus on the Safety of its Patients, Staff & Community
The physicians at Arkansas Surgical Hospital have been carefully evaluating each patient’s case to determine if their scheduled procedures can be safely postponed. Elective surgeries—procedures that can be postponed without causing harm to the patient—have been rescheduled or cancelled, while urgent surgeries are continuing.
“Urgent procedures are time-sensitive and can cause additional risk to the patient if delayed,” explained Brian Fowler, CEO of Arkansas Surgical Hospital. “These risks can include patient deficits, opioid addiction from continued use of medication to reduce pain, and emergency room visits during the COVID crisis. Our goal is to meet the needs of our community while addressing safety and care.”
The physicians at Arkansas Surgical Hospital use their clinical judgement and recommendations from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to determine whether postponing a procedure would put a patient at more risk than performing the surgery would. The risk factors they must consider include intractable pain control issues, the possibility of permanent impairment with a lack of timely treatment, and the risk of injury from falling.
By treating patients who are at risk of falling, developing blood clots, or undergoing nerve damage, the hospital hopes to prevent injuries that would otherwise mean a trip to the emergency room.
“Reducing the number of visits to the ER prevents unnecessary exposure to COVID-19, reduces the load on overworked ER and ICU staff, and limits the use of essential emergency resources,” said Fowler. “We are adhering to all recommendations and have reached out to the Arkansas Department of Health to ensure that we are doing everything possible to protect our patients during this time.”
Arkansas Surgical Hospital is committed to a disciplined focus on safety and the care and comfort of our patients.
