<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/3/1584973978568.png" alt="The University of Kansas Health System has postponed elective surgeries to prepare for an influx of coronavirus patients. KU Hospital" />
 <figcaption>The University of Kansas Health System has postponed elective surgeries to prepare for an influx of coronavirus patients. KU Hospital</figcaption>
 </figure>By DAN MARGOLIES <a href="https://www.kcur.org/post/most-kansas-city-area-hospitals-put-elective-surgeries-prepare-covid-19#stream/0">Kansas News Service</a>As
 the coronavirus continues its relentless spread, hospitals are making 
tough decisions about postponing or canceling elective procedures.Earlier
 this week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recommended 
that providers consider a range of factors in determining whether to 
postpone surgery or other procedures. They include patient risk, urgency
 of the procedure, bed availability, staffing and the availability of 
personal protective equipment.“The reality is clear and the 
stakes are high: we need to preserve personal protective equipment for 
those on the front lines of this fight,” CMS Administrator Seema Verma 
said in a statement Wednesday.The University of Kansas Health 
System, which operates the area’s largest hospital, has indefinitely 
postponed all elective procedures.“It’s part of our conservation
 efforts to make sure that we have enough supplies,” said spokeswoman 
Jill Chadwick. “And it's to help protect patients whose annual check-up,
 etc., can wait. We know social distancing works and we are assessing 
everyday how to do our part.”&nbsp;&nbsp;In a conference call with 
reporters Friday, Steve Stites, KU’s chief medical officer, said the 
hospital’s operating rooms were currently operating at about 25% 
capacity because most elective procedures had been canceled or deferred.He
 said KU had prioritized cases into three tiers: ones that can readily 
be postponed, such as cosmetic surgery; ones with a risk of harm, where 
the physician and patient need to make an informed decision about what 
the relative harm and risk may be; and ones that can't be postponed.“So cases that you have to do are cancer surgery,” Stites said. “You can’t let the tumor grow.”Stites
 said the measures were being taken to conserve personal protective 
equipment in the expectation of an influx of COVID-19 patients in coming
 weeks.“We're trying to conserve as much as we can right now for
 the eventual rapid increase in the number of COVID-19 patients inside 
the hospital,” Stites said. “And that’s the reason we've been holding 
back surgery, in order to preserve our personal protective equipment.”At
 Saint Luke’s Health System, another large hospital network, elective 
procedures are being deferred, although what constitutes “elective” in 
some cases is being left to physicians’ discretion.“We are 
deferring all cases that can be safely deferred,” spokeswoman Laurel 
Gifford said. “Some technically elective procedures are still medically 
necessary so our physicians and surgeons are reviewing them on a 
case-by-case basis. But I think it’s safe to say that all cases that are
 not required at this point and where it’s in the best interests of the 
patient, are being rescheduled and deferred to a later date.”HCA
 Midwest Health, the largest hospital operator in the Kansas City area, 
said it’s following CMS’ guidelines but also deferring to the clinical 
judgment of its physicians.“Our COVID-19 preparedness efforts 
include reinforcing infection prevention protocols and guidance from the
 CDC, sourcing necessary supplies and equipment, and emergency planning,
 so our hospitals are prepared to safely meet the needs of all of our 
patients and protect the health and well-being of our colleagues,” HCA 
spokeswoman Christine Hamele said.Safety-net hospital Truman 
Medical Centers is postponing “anything that’s true elective surgery,” 
according to spokeswoman Leslie Carto.“There are some, like a 
malignancy that can possibly wait but they have the diagnosis, those are
 being done. But anything truly elective – those are being canceled,” 
Carto said.At least one local healthcare provider, AdventHealth 
System, which operates AdventHealth Shawnee Mission (formerly known 
Shawnee Mission Medical Center, has not postponed elective procedures.“We
 haven’t told (physicians) that they need to cancel things. I will tell 
you that’s something that’s being reviewed daily and that position can 
change,” Adventist spokeswoman Morgan Shandler said.At the top 
of its website, AdventHealth posted this notice: “While preventing the 
spread of COVID-19 and treating COVID-19 patients is of highest priority
 in our community, we recognize that we have many patients with medical 
needs unrelated to COVID-19 that still need addressed. At this time, 
AdventHealth Shawnee Mission has not cancelled or delayed scheduled 
procedures. However, individual physicians are reviewing their scheduled
 cases and may opt to postpone elective cases that are not time 
sensitive. If your case will be postponed, your physician’s office will 
contact you directly. We will continue to update this policy as the 
situation with COVID-19 evolves.”Dan Margolies is a senior reporter and editor at KCUR. You can reach him on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/DanMargolies">@DanMargolies</a>.

Most KC-area hospitals put off elective surgeries to prepare for COVID-19