MILWAUKEE — Advocate Aurora Health is cutting hospital admissions for elective procedures by 50 percent, according to the Milwaukee Business Journal.
The TMJ4 news partner reports that some Advocate Aurora hospitals have already begun enforcing the new policy, due to a surge in COVID-19 patients.
Aurora Medical Group's chief officer, Dr. Jeff Bahr, tells the outlet that the procedures that will be suspended are 'low acuity' cases. Surgeries for patients with cancer, or for patients facing life-threatening emergencies, will continue under the new policy.
The policy will take effect in all Advocate Aurora hospitals later this week.
Aurora is the largest health care system in both Wisconsin and Illinois, and is the first health care system in southeast Wisconsin to suspend elective procedures. A Froedtert Health spokesperson tells the BizJournal that they are considering postponing elective procedures.
Elective surgeries or procedures are those that can be scheduled in advance. They may lead to a better quality of life, but do not address a life-threatening condition.