Several Mass. hospitals facing capacity issues moved to ‘high risk’

BOSTON — Backlogs in many hospitals across the state are pushing the healthcare system into “high risk.”

Many facilities are at full capacity as more and more patients are waiting in the ER. The crisis has forced the Department of Public Health to elevate hospitals in the Boston metro area and the northeast part of the state to high risk.

The last time many hospitals were at high risk was during the height of Covid. So what does that mean? Some hospitals might have to share bed availability and also reduce the number of elective procedures.

The Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association found that nearly one out of every seven medical surgical beds in Massachusetts is taken by patients who no longer need to be in an acute care hospital. Currently there are more than 1,000 patients stuck in Massachusetts hospitals as they wait for beds in post-acute care facilities. The MHA also reported the average length of stay waiting to transfer to a continuing care bed is 197 days, that’s up 36 days from 2021.

The lack of bed space, coupled with workforce shortages, has forced the state to move to its second highest level, Tier 3. The governor talked about the ongoing struggle of hiring more health care workers to handle the growing problem.

“So we need to increase our workforce to deal with some of the past issues that we are seeing not only in hospitals, but also look at our nursing homes and nursing facilities,” said Gov. Maura Healey. “So, you know, it’s something we’re really acutely focused on are going to work to continue to manage.”

The MHA said the financial issues with Steward also adds some uncertainty about bed space. A spokesperson said moving into tier 3 doesn’t immediately result in slashing elective procedures, but it’s an option that can be implemented if hospitals are strapped for space.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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