Mil.med elective procedures a go

U.S. military medical facilities across the globe can resume elective procedures as long as their communities meet criteria outlined in new guidance to the services, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs’ Tom McCaffrey wrote in a May 19 memorandum. As the curve of infection flattens, officials are lifting restrictions put in place in March as the COVID-19 outbreak threatened to overwhelm the military health system. Procedures can resume as long as they can be safely performed, needed to maintain deployability and readiness of service members, or delaying could increase risk to the patient. Base commanders now are able to lower their installation’s health protection condition if they see a sustained drop in cases. Mil.med commanders can resume outpatient elective procedures while at health protection condition “Charlie” and inpatient procedures at HPCON “Bravo.” The decision to increase the number of elective procedures must be based on the staffing levels at the facilities, availability of personal protective equipment, testing for staff, and the overall capacity of the healthcare system, including TRICARE, according to a DoD statement. The adjustments are reversible if local conditions change, and facilities should continue to use virtual care when appropriate, according to the memo. (Source: AF Magazine 05/21/20)