Virtua Concerned About Lack Of Non-Coronavirus Patients

Medical professionals at Virtua Health are expressing concern over declines in the number of patients coming to the hospital for conditions not related to new coronavirus. It's a problem health care systems are seeing nationwide.

Staff at the health system’s five hospitals and 280 other care locations are concerned over what they called “medical distancing,” noting that anyone who delays going to the hospital with serious medical conditions can make their situations much worse.

“This trend appears to be widespread, and it is certainly cause for concern,” Virtua Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Reginald Blaber said. “We can understand that people may be avoiding health care settings and services for fear of exposure to the coronavirus, but delaying medical care can have considerable, lasting consequences.”

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Elective surgeries and wellness visits have been postponed, but Virtua said that doesn’t explain the overall decline in number of patients they are seeing. Medical specialties, including cardiology and orthopedics, were notably underutilized when compared to past averages, according to the health system.

In fact, interventional cardiologist Dr. Ibrahim Moussa said he has seen several recent cases in which people who had neurological and cardiac symptoms waited for a few days before ultimately recognizing they needed medical care.

“By the time they arrived to the hospital, they required emergency intervention or a high-risk procedure. Had they taken action earlier, the treatment would likely have been less urgent, less invasive, and resulted in better outcomes,” Moussa said.

Primary care physician Dr. Samuel Weiner showed particular concern for anyone with preexisting conditions.

“If you have hypertension or diabetes or heart disease, you can’t afford to have a ‘wait-and-see’ attitude,” Weiner said. “I want to remind our South Jersey community that we are here for you, whether it’s at a medical practice, urgent care, inpatient facility, or even remotely via telemedicine. I also encourage people with behavioral health concerns to be vigilant in self-care and staying connected to their providers.”

Weiner compared his rationale to vehicle maintenance.

“If you own a car and a warning light comes on the dashboard, you know it’s time to take action. Putting it off only allows the problem to worsen and compound,” Weiner said. “I don’t want our patients to show up to our offices with severe problems 30 or 60 days from now, when an appointment today could, perhaps, easily resolve the issue.”

The comments were echoed by Cooper University Health Care Co-CEO Anthony Mazzarelli.

“If people feel safe to go to the food store, they need to know our medical experts understand how to limit their exposure to the virus even better and, more importantly, take care of their vital health needs,” Mazzarelli said.

The issue is not confined to South Jersey. Visits to emergency rooms in some parts of the country are down by about 50 percent nationwide, according to a recent report by ABC News. The death toll among people staying home because they are afraid of contracting the coronavirus is unknown.

In New Jersey, hospitals report anecdotally that inpatient admissions are down anywhere from 20 to 40 percent from where they were before the pandemic began, according to state officials.

“The Freeholder Board is in constant contact with the health care networks and hospitals in our region. We have not yet beaten coronavirus, but we have thus far avoided the worst-case scenario where hospitals are pushed beyond their capacity,” Camden County Freeholder Carmen Rodriguez said. “If you or a loved one needs immediate care, there is no reason to be afraid to visit our region’s premiere health care institutions.”

The New Jersey Department of Public Health and the New Jersey Hospital Association are also tackling the issue, specifically as it relates to residents who may suffer a potential heart attack or stroke and might be reluctant to go to hospital Emergency Departments due to the pandemic.

They have come together on a joint public service announcement featuring Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli and NJHA President and CEO Cathy Bennett. A video of the message can be seen below.

Heart attack and stroke risks can vary by age, gender and heredity including race. Shared risk factors for heart attack and stroke can include high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, smoking, high cholesterol, physical inactivity and heart disease.

Residents are reminded that signs of a stroke can include:

• Face drooping
• Arm weakness or numbness
• Slurred speech or difficulty speaking
• Sudden confusion and trouble seeing

Signs of a heart attack can include:

• Chest pain or pressure
• Pain or discomfort in arms, back, neck, jaw or stomach
• Shortness of breath
• Nausea or lightheadedness

For more warning signs, visit nj.gov/health/fhs/chronic/heart-disease-stroke/.

On a positive note, there were 1,480 new babies delivered at Virtua during the first nine weeks of the pandemic. The health system also cared for about 300 new cancer patients.

“Better days are ahead, and so I want all of us to take care of ourselves and get help for medical problems,“ Blaber said.

Read more: NJ Coronavirus Updates: Here's What You Need To Know