Re Surge threat: Anne Carroll’s comment to me below relates to the difficulty that she, I and others have had on occasion in getting the NPSF (the "National Patient Safety Foundation") to post on their list serve any comments or articles that are threatening to or critical of hospitals. The threat that hospitals could get overwhelmed is very real. CDC is downplaying information contained in the Washington Post artiucle about this threat–because if true–there’s no solution at hand currently.
http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content/237923/topic/WS_HLM2_LED/Feds-Clarify-Hospital-Triage-Rules-in-Event-of-H1N1-Frenzy.html
Feds Clarify Hospital Triage Rules in Event of H1N1 Frenzy
Here is a link to the CMS memo:
http://www.tha.org/HealthCareProviders/Advocacy/PolicyIssues/DisasterReadiness/SwineFlu/EMTALA_%20Memo.pdf
Here is a link to the CMS Fact Sheet:
http://www.tha.org/HealthCareProviders/Advocacy/PolicyIssues/DisasterReadiness/SwineFlu/EMTALA_FactSheet.pdf
It’s probably a good idea for facilities to train their staffs on their surge plans before the fall, since HHS expects about 1/2 of the population to be infected with the H1N1 virus (not all of them will require hospitalization).
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/24/AR2009082401733.html
Swine Flu Could Infect Half of U.S.
Presidential Panel’s Estimate Is First To Gauge Possible Impact of Pandemic
"Although most of the cases probably would be mild, up to 300,000 people could require intensive care, which could tie up all those beds in some parts of the country at the peak of the outbreak, the council said."
–Anne Carroll
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