University Of Chicago Medicine Leading The Way For Elective Surgery Scheduling Procedures
CHICAGO (CBS)-- Now that elective surgeries are being preformed in Illinois, the University of Chicago is leading the way for how those procedures are being scheduled.
Doctors there came up with a formula that's now being used at hospitals all over the world. Dr. Vivek Prachand said 21 different factors are taken into consideration to decide which surgeries should be done and which should be done first.
"The surgeon, to really think about would two weeks, would a two-week delay period impact how the disease would progress, would it make the disease worse or would it make the surgery more difficult to perform," he said.
While some patients are eager to get their medical treatment started, others are a little hesitant to go into a hospital. Especially during a time when people are being told to stay home whenever possible.
Communication with patients becomes even more important.
"We have this scoring system that really does take their safety and their risk into account," Prachand said. "They're not just being called in because we want to get their procedure done, but because it's necessary, and we think that it's safe and reasonable for them to have it done."
Elective surgeries can still include some fairly serious operations such as early-stage cancer treatment, hernia surgery or even joint replacement.