Rome Memorial Hospital resumes elective surgeries

ROME, N.Y. — Rome Memorial Hospital (RMH) announced it is now ready to restart elective surgical procedures.

In collaboration with its physicians, RMH says it has redesigned workflows to test patients for COVID-19 before surgery. It’s also designating separate entrances, elevators, units, and staff for patients’ “enhanced safety,” Mark Murphy, president and CEO of RMH, said in a release.

The hospital is now scheduling surgeries. Elective surgical procedures that are available at RMH range from minimally invasive spine surgery to laparoscopic hernia repair.

The hospital’s plan was developed in accordance with the guidance from the New York State Department of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the American College of Surgeons.

“We now have the capability to do rapid on-site COVID-19 testing to test patients prior to a surgical procedure to minimize risks,” he said. “In addition, our teams have refined our workflows and processes to enhance the hospital’s already stringent infection prevention strategies.”

These procedures include using drive-through specimen collection to test for COVID-19 prior to surgery, along with designating a separate entrance and elevator for patients to use on the day of surgery to limit their encounters with other people.

In addition, Rome Memorial Hospital is also assigning patients to a surgical unit on a different floor separate from patients who may be hospitalized with an infectious disease.

The hospital is also utilizing staffing patterns that ensure staff assigned to care for suspected or positive COVID-19 patients don’t “float” into a unit caring for any elective surgery patient.

“We have been consistently screening everyone who enters our facility, including patients and staff, for fever and respiratory symptoms. In addition, masks or face covers are required,” said Murphy. “This proactive approach has enabled us to successfully protect our patients, staff, and community through the COVID pandemic.”

RMH also assembled a physician council to “prioritize” patients who have been awaiting surgery based upon their “clinical indication,” according to Murphy.

“Because each patient’s surgical circumstances are unique, we have been working closely with our physicians to support them in determining the best timing of surgery,” he noted.

With the statewide numbers of hospitalized COVID-19 patients declining, the state is permitting hospitals that have the capacity and resources to resume elective procedures in regions without significant risk of a COVID-19 surge.

Based upon recent trends, Rome’s available capacity will allow the hospital to shift its resources to focus on other community needs.

“Rome has had a very small number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in the last 10 days and we expect that downward trend to continue,” Murphy said.