Posting this here as it is one of the most transparent updates I have seen in some time. Includes not only COVID-19 #s, but the financial status of the hospital system and next steps they are taking
A quicker reminder-- North Florida (Gainesville, Jacksonville) has seen a lower prevalence of the virus than some other parts of Florida including Tampa and Orlando, and especially Miami which is the hotspot for the state.
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As of today, Gainesville has 24 inpatients (10 in ICU), Jacksonville has 14 inpatients (3 in ICU) and our two Central Florida hospitals have 10 inpatients in total (3 ICU). To date, over 100 COVID-positive patients have been discharged from our health system. Our COVID prevalence rates range from 3% to 5%, with decreasing cases despite increased testing. For the state of Florida, peak new cases occurred on April 3rd and peak deaths occurred on April 6th. We are clearly two to three weeks into the "backside" of the curve very good news.
As part of a research protocol, we recently conducted environmental air sampling for coronavirus in several hospital areas, including the main emergency department, the MICU where COVID-19 patients are cohorted, and our hospital air handlers, among others. No evidence of the virus was found in the air. Additionally, in rooms where COVID-positive patients were treated and then released, there was no sign of the virus in the rooms the next day following thorough cleaning procedures.
We have tested 4,230 people in The Villages. Of those who were asymptomatic and tested through our research study, only 3 out of 2,100 (0.14%) tested positive. Of those who showed symptoms, 45 of 2,130 (2.1%) were positive.
We recently began testing in underserved communities in Jacksonville, and only 1 out of 432 (0.23%) people who were asymptomatic were positive, in contrast to 4 out of 75 (5.5%) of those who were symptomatic.
At GRACE Marketplace in Gainesville, a community for those who are homeless, none of the 145 people we tested were positive.
We have also conducted testing of 252 staff and residents in several community long-term care facilities, and 15 (6%) were positive. Of these, some were asymptomatic or presymptomatic.
To date we have tested 666 first responders in Alachua County; fortunately only 6 (0.9%) were positive.
UF Health's operating results for FY20 have been significantly impacted by the coronavirus pandemic due to a combination of lost revenues across our Gainesville, Jacksonville and Central Florida health campuses (e.g., cancellation of elective surgeries) and unanticipated incremental expenses (e.g., the purchase of additional personal protective equipment).
On the basis of different scenarios we've modeled, our operating results could be negatively impacted anywhere from $100 million to $150 million. When combined with nonoperating declines, we could be looking at a total amount approaching $200 million, based on just four months of COVID-19 impact. Although the federal government is supporting health care providers with stimulus funds, the final allocation of this support to individual entities remains unclear and likely will only cover a portion of the pandemic's impact.
Where we end the fiscal year will depend on how quickly we can "reopen" UF Health over the next two months.
On the good news front, we have teams in place that have been working hard to finalize plans to phase in certain clinical and surgical services over the next few weeks and start to open up our research enterprise. At the outset of the outbreak, we took immediate steps out of an abundance of caution to limit much of this care, choosing to be even more conservative than local, state and federal orders have required regarding postponement of "non-essential" elective surgeries. Now, we have more information under our belt and have engaged in extensive preparations and have formulated plans that enable us to move forward with some cases while still adhering to the spirit and intent of the orders.
Starting next week, we will begin scheduling certain patients who have had to delay particular surgeries because of the COVID-19 emergency. While it has been acceptable to hold off for a while, enough time has passed that for some patients who have particular diagnoses, the need for these medically necessary operations is growing more critical as their conditions have progressed. We feel we can do so in a manner that minimizes risk and is safe for our health care providers and for our patients, and in a way that complies with the full extent the various governmental orders in place. These orders continue to allow essential procedures to take place, including those that prevent risk to a patient's immediate health, safety or well-being, or prevent the worsening of a serious or life-threatening medical condition. We also have capacity to continue to care for COVID-19-positive patients as needed, as well as necessary supplies of PPE and testing capabilities.
In addition, we are planning to increase the number of face-to-face visits in our outpatient practices starting the first week of May. Along with this increase will be a rebalancing of the proportion of care provided by telemedicine. Although electronic visits should continue to play a bigger role in our care efforts than they did previously, our care will mostly be delivered face-to-face on our campuses, as it was in the past. We will be sharing further details with you as they are finalized and continue to scrutinize the situation daily and adjust plans as appropriate. We will proceed in a way that is safe and effective for patients, faculty and staff.
A quicker reminder-- North Florida (Gainesville, Jacksonville) has seen a lower prevalence of the virus than some other parts of Florida including Tampa and Orlando, and especially Miami which is the hotspot for the state.
------
As of today, Gainesville has 24 inpatients (10 in ICU), Jacksonville has 14 inpatients (3 in ICU) and our two Central Florida hospitals have 10 inpatients in total (3 ICU). To date, over 100 COVID-positive patients have been discharged from our health system. Our COVID prevalence rates range from 3% to 5%, with decreasing cases despite increased testing. For the state of Florida, peak new cases occurred on April 3rd and peak deaths occurred on April 6th. We are clearly two to three weeks into the "backside" of the curve very good news.
As part of a research protocol, we recently conducted environmental air sampling for coronavirus in several hospital areas, including the main emergency department, the MICU where COVID-19 patients are cohorted, and our hospital air handlers, among others. No evidence of the virus was found in the air. Additionally, in rooms where COVID-positive patients were treated and then released, there was no sign of the virus in the rooms the next day following thorough cleaning procedures.
We have tested 4,230 people in The Villages. Of those who were asymptomatic and tested through our research study, only 3 out of 2,100 (0.14%) tested positive. Of those who showed symptoms, 45 of 2,130 (2.1%) were positive.
We recently began testing in underserved communities in Jacksonville, and only 1 out of 432 (0.23%) people who were asymptomatic were positive, in contrast to 4 out of 75 (5.5%) of those who were symptomatic.
At GRACE Marketplace in Gainesville, a community for those who are homeless, none of the 145 people we tested were positive.
We have also conducted testing of 252 staff and residents in several community long-term care facilities, and 15 (6%) were positive. Of these, some were asymptomatic or presymptomatic.
To date we have tested 666 first responders in Alachua County; fortunately only 6 (0.9%) were positive.
UF Health's operating results for FY20 have been significantly impacted by the coronavirus pandemic due to a combination of lost revenues across our Gainesville, Jacksonville and Central Florida health campuses (e.g., cancellation of elective surgeries) and unanticipated incremental expenses (e.g., the purchase of additional personal protective equipment).
On the basis of different scenarios we've modeled, our operating results could be negatively impacted anywhere from $100 million to $150 million. When combined with nonoperating declines, we could be looking at a total amount approaching $200 million, based on just four months of COVID-19 impact. Although the federal government is supporting health care providers with stimulus funds, the final allocation of this support to individual entities remains unclear and likely will only cover a portion of the pandemic's impact.
Where we end the fiscal year will depend on how quickly we can "reopen" UF Health over the next two months.
On the good news front, we have teams in place that have been working hard to finalize plans to phase in certain clinical and surgical services over the next few weeks and start to open up our research enterprise. At the outset of the outbreak, we took immediate steps out of an abundance of caution to limit much of this care, choosing to be even more conservative than local, state and federal orders have required regarding postponement of "non-essential" elective surgeries. Now, we have more information under our belt and have engaged in extensive preparations and have formulated plans that enable us to move forward with some cases while still adhering to the spirit and intent of the orders.
Starting next week, we will begin scheduling certain patients who have had to delay particular surgeries because of the COVID-19 emergency. While it has been acceptable to hold off for a while, enough time has passed that for some patients who have particular diagnoses, the need for these medically necessary operations is growing more critical as their conditions have progressed. We feel we can do so in a manner that minimizes risk and is safe for our health care providers and for our patients, and in a way that complies with the full extent the various governmental orders in place. These orders continue to allow essential procedures to take place, including those that prevent risk to a patient's immediate health, safety or well-being, or prevent the worsening of a serious or life-threatening medical condition. We also have capacity to continue to care for COVID-19-positive patients as needed, as well as necessary supplies of PPE and testing capabilities.
In addition, we are planning to increase the number of face-to-face visits in our outpatient practices starting the first week of May. Along with this increase will be a rebalancing of the proportion of care provided by telemedicine. Although electronic visits should continue to play a bigger role in our care efforts than they did previously, our care will mostly be delivered face-to-face on our campuses, as it was in the past. We will be sharing further details with you as they are finalized and continue to scrutinize the situation daily and adjust plans as appropriate. We will proceed in a way that is safe and effective for patients, faculty and staff.
