If the novel coronavirus continues to spread widely in the U.S., hospitals in certain parts of the country will be particularly stressed and have far too few beds to treat the influx of patients, according to data released March 17 by the Harvard Global Health Institute.

Just as consumers rely on their mobile devices to get breaking news and extreme weather alerts, healthcare providers often rely on mobile devices to receive urgent notifications regarding patients.

California is preparing for worst-case scenarios resulting from the coronavirus pandemic, and its hospitals are bracing for a huge influx of patients, according to NBC Los Angeles.

Increasing surge capacity in intensive care units and implementing containment measures were the two priorities Italian physicians identified as they worked to curb an outbreak at a hospital in Italy, according to a viewpoint article in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

CipherHealth’s Chief Nursing Officer Lisa Romano says proactive patient outreach with screening and direction on where to seek care if necessary,  is one of the most powerful tools a hospital can adopt right now as they try to contain the virus yet still provide patient care and the safety of their community.

New York Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo on March 16 issued an executive order to increase that state's hospital bed capacity in preparation for an influx of COVID-19 patients, reports the Times Union.

Establishing criteria for discharge from the hospital for the most commonly diagnosed conditions can help hospitals reduce length of stay among children, according to a study published in Hospital Pediatrics.

With the coronavirus spreading across the U.S., some hospitals and health systems are canceling elective surgery to prevent the spread of coronavirus as well as dedicate resources to its coronavirus response.

Data scientists at Philadelphia-based Penn Medicine created a tool to help hospitals with capacity planning for COVID-19 patients. 

Hospitals and health systems nationwide are setting up medical tents outside their facilities in preparation for a potential influx of COVID-19 patients.

Providence St. Joseph Health is considering treating a potential surge of new patients in "alternative areas of care, including setting up tents outside of our hospitals," CEO Rod Hochman told CNBC.

Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., shut down four of its operating rooms after a routine inspection by the state health department found unsafe levels of humidity, according to a Mid Hudson News report.

Ride-share company Lyft partnered with Unite Us, a technology firm that helps connect health and social care providers, to transport people to referred appointments.

Providence Behavioral Health Hospital in Holyoke, Mass., plans to end inpatient psychiatric services for children, adults and geriatric patients, the Daily Hampshire Gazette reports.

Less than one year after opening two retail clinics in grocery stores, Clarkston, Wash.-based Tri-State Memorial Hospital will close them, according to the Lewiston Tribune.

Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems is ending inpatient care at two Florida hospitals and then selling the facilities to Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare, according to The Florida Times-Union.

Children's Hospital & Medical Center in Omaha, Neb., hired interim neurosurgeons to help after 10 surgeons resigned last year. Now the interim surgeons are leaving, and the hospital will transfer all emergent neurosurgical cases elsewhere, according to local news station WOWT.

Walmart has expanded into primary care by opening two new standalone health clinics in the last six months, pitting it against rivals also pushing into healthcare, such as CVS Health and Amazon, according to Bloomberg.

A county in Maryland has launched a program to speed the return of ambulances to service after patients have been brought to the emergency room, WTOP-FM reports.

UPMC Bedford in Everett, Pa., has temporarily closed its intensive care unit to allow staff to provide support in other hospital departments, the hospital confirmed to Becker's Hospital Review.