With COVID-19 hospitalizations reaching system records four days in a row, Johnson City, Tenn.-based Ballad Health is getting explicit about what medical needs call for the emergency room.
The 21-hospital system urged anyone who believes they are having a "life- or-limb-threatening emergency" to call 911 or get to the closest emergency department, according to its Sept. 7 statement. Ballad specifies this includes people experiencing trauma, chest pain, stroke symptoms or other serious health emergencies.
Patients with health needs that do not qualify as life- or-limb-threatening may wait in ERs for several hours, Alan Levine, chairman and CEO of Ballad, said in a Sept. 7 tweet.
"If it is determined the individual does not have a life- or limb-threatening emergency, it is highly likely the wait times to be treated will be significant, as the emergency physicians and clinical team prioritize those with the most severe needs," the system's statement reads. "ERs are not first-come-first-served, but rather, patients are prioritized based on medical necessity as determined by qualified physicians and providers."
The system encourages community members to bring urgent medical needs to its telehealth offering, Ballad Health Virtual Urgent Care Clinic, or 12 urgent care centers.
ER visits for COVID-19 tests are specifically discouraged.
"Ballad Health strongly advises against using emergency departments for COVID testing and warns the use of ERs for testing will not lead to a faster result," according to the statement.
Mr. Levine tweeted that Ballad is conducting 1,800 COVID-19 tests a day, with results taking 48 to 72 hours.
Mr. Levine took to Twitter Sept. 7 to detail the state of affairs throughout the system, noting that 403 people are hospitalized with COVID-19, ICUs are full, urgent care is "pretty overwhelmed," and ERs are "backed up."
"As hospitals throughout Tennessee and the Southeast deal with this COVID-19 surge, many are diverting patients, or refusing to take transfers," Ballad stated. "Thus, it is critical Ballad Health manage its capacity to ensure people with the most critical needs can access the care they need."
Ballad set a record Sept. 6 of 387 inpatients with COVID-19. The day before, the system had 374 COVID-19 inpatients, preceded by 362 inpatients Sept. 4, according to local CBS/ABC affiliate WJHL.