BMH gets back on track with elective, optional procedures
While visitors to Butler Memorial Hospital still are required to wear masks and get their temperatures checked upon entry, many are patients reentering the hospital to receive care that was paused at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.
Dr. David Rottinghaus, Butler Health System's chief medical officer and emergency medical physician, said the hospital has been catching up on administering elective treatments and procedures like surgeries, many of which were postponed during the past two years because of the volume of patients with COVID-19.
Elective surgeries were put on state-mandated hold at different points over the past two years, but Rottinghaus said the hospital only has delayed procedures of its own accord when beds were not available.
“We did have days where we suspended surgeries simply because we didn't have a lot of hospital beds. Right now we are not restricting what we are doing,” Rottinghaus said. “We are still catching up on some procedures that were delayed in January, but we're getting in people who are in need. We are handling those (cases) very efficiently.”
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