Minnesota Hospital Association (MHA) leaders on Dec. 16 held a briefing for Minnesota’s legislators on how the health care system has provided patient-centered care during its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The briefing and accompanying pandemic response report highlighted extraordinary collaboration among Minnesota’s hospitals and health systems, as well as with state and federal government agencies.

Hospital and health system leaders shared a high-level snapshot of the numerous organizational levers hospitals and health systems across the state have pulled in order to serve both COVID and non-COVID patients since the pandemic began. Every hospital and health system in Minnesota has deployed creative tactics and strategies to meet the needs of patients and communities including:

• Supporting staff to ensure care capacity for patients such as providing additional training and redeployment;
• Adjusting hospital operations including the establishment of incident command models and delaying select surgical cases or moving to same-day discharge to maintain capacity for increasing COVID-19 cases;
• Maximizing the use of ambulatory, clinic and outpatient care and telehealth;
• Heroic efforts to obtain and maintain PPE supply and ensuring infection prevention measures;
• Increasing testing through community events and drive-through testing;
• Community leadership such as partnerships with long-term care facilities and other community partners; and
• Breakthrough care and research such as vaccine trials, new therapeutics, repositioning of patients and use of vents.

“Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic while also balancing care for non-COVID-19 patients has stress tested our state’s health care infrastructure as never before, reinforcing the significance of deep and authentic collaboration across the state that supports the critical work of our health care heroes – including nurses, doctors, therapists, pharmacists, support services, housekeeping, technicians, advanced practice providers and many more,” said Dr. Rahul Koranne, president and CEO, MHA. “We appreciate the service and support of Minnesota lawmakers as the hospitals and health care systems across the state weather this crisis while providing access to high-quality care for all Minnesotans.”

During the briefing, MHA and member hospitals and health systems shared how the COVID-19 pandemic has stressed the state’s already financially fragile health care system. Koranne and health system leaders urged legislators in the coming legislative session to support Minnesota’s system of care as well as maintain the ability for all Minnesotans to access high-quality health care.

The Minnesota Hospital Association represents Minnesota’s hospitals and health systems, which provide quality care for their patients and meet the needs of their communities.

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