Several hospitals ask MEDIC to divert patients due to capacity limits

MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C. — Novant Health Senior Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer, Sid Fletcher, confirmed to Channel 9 that two Novant Health Hospitals, including one in Matthews, were redirecting patients on Monday morning.

This comes after a source told reporter Gina Esposito that multiple hospitals had to ask MEDIC to divert new patients to a different hospital that day. That process is called a diversion or redirection.

“Certainly with COVID it’s no mystery to everybody that’s been going on right now, is that our numbers are the highest that they’ve been during this pandemic and that is contributing to the issue,” said Fletcher.

Fletcher said redirection is not uncommon during the winter months and is something they do throughout the year.

“I have not seen a huge uptick in what we’ve seen in a typical winter but I do have some concerns that if we do continue to see this COVID surge and that continues to press us, that may be more of an issue,” said Fletcher.

Fletcher said a diversion can last up to four hours and is lifted once there’s is a reduction in ER wait times and inpatients beds. With COVID-19 cases rising, he said they’re constantly looking at their capacity.

“I think in the short term we believe we have the capacity and the ability to manage that. And we do have the PPE, staffing and etc. If the numbers continue to climb and we see a spike, we could find ourselves in a much more difficult position,” said Fletcher.

Both Novant and Atrium told Channel 9 diversions are necessary to ensure patients get the care they need, especially now with COVID-19.

Channel 9 asked Fletcher if we could see more hospitals asking MEDIC to divert patients in the coming weeks.

“It’s certainly possible. It’s important to note that we try to move cases around in our facilities as well to make sure we are trying to share that burden, share that load with the facility the communities that we serve to make sure that doesn’t happen,” said Fletcher.

It’s important to note that Atrium Health and Novant Health will never divert patients who are experiencing major trauma, like strokes or cardiac arrests.

In a statement Atrium Health said:

“Atrium Health is often the first choice for care for the communities we serve, as well as the first place other health systems in the region reach out to when they can’t accommodate a patient, because of the wealth of our highly experienced providers along with advanced medical equipment, capabilities and facilities. We are honored to provide this level of care and consider it a signature of our brand, a reflection of our mission and a testament to our amazing teammates.

Like many health systems across the state and around the country, Atrium Health is experiencing a higher volume of patients right now. Some of that is cyclical and some is due to the rising number of COVID cases in North Carolina. Occasionally, emergency departments may have to go on diversion, but it is typically a temporary situation as adjustments are made to accommodate the influx of patients. Our teams routinely plan for an influx and we execute on those plans to ensure patient care and safety is never jeopardized.

It is also important to note that Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center is the only Level I Trauma Center in the region and therefore will not divert trauma patients requiring the highest level of care that a trauma center can provide.”

In a statement Novant said:

“In order to safely care for the patients present in our facilities, there are instances when Novant Health follows the industry-wide practice of redirecting incoming ambulatory patients to facilities with more manageable capacity. The decision to redirect, which typically lasts four hours or less, is made once all additional resources have been exhausted. The redirection is lifted once there is sufficient reduction in emergency department volumes, wait times and inpatients holding for a bed.

Across our footprint, the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients continues to steadily rise. We are also seeing the expected seasonal increase in the number of patients seeking care for other health concerns. It is not unusual to have episodic redirection needs during the winter months even without COVID-19 in the community. With inpatient numbers at some of their highest levels since the pandemic started, redirecting is one lever we are pulling as needed to help manage current capacity.

We continue to monitor the data closely and stand ready to activate additional surge planning scenarios from staffing contingency to the utilization of additional space on our campuses, as necessary.”

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