After seeing a significant drop-off in patients traveling to its campus, Mayo Clinic Florida is starting to feel like a destination medical center again.
Mayo Clinic Florida CEO Kent Thielen said the hospital is beginning to see patients from the Southeastern U.S. coming back to its campus, but international patients aren’t returning in the same numbers.
“As airline travel becomes more accessible, we’ll start to see more of those patients,” he said. “Patients are willing to drive though, interestingly. Many patients are willing to get into the car where previously they would have perhaps flown.”
Patients who have not been able to come to the campus for their elective procedures, and those from out of the area, have been keeping in contact with their doctors through telemedicine.
Thielen said he expects some departments to make telemedicine part of normal treatment plans.
“I think we’re gaining additional understanding on a daily and weekly basis, and I am very optimistic this will become a significant part of the way we care for patients going forward,” he said.
There still are still fewer people on campus than usual, he said. Most patients are allowed one visitor and ER patients cannot have visitors. Visitation hours are reduced to noon-8 p.m.
Anyone who enters the facility is screened and everyone in the building is required to wear a mask. Employees wear safety glasses and face shields where appropriate.
The hospital began reintroducing elective procedures as Gov. Ron DeSantis’s ban was lifted May 4.
Mayo is operating at about 80% of its normal surgical procedure volume. At the peak of the COVID-19 response, surgical volumes were about half of normal.
“We’ve had a stepwise increase in volume week to week,” Thielen said. “We’re clearly not back to our original volume, but we’re showing significant progression.”
Because of the decrease in elective procedures, Mayo Clinic announced April 10 it would furlough some staff and reduce some salaries beginning April 28.
While Thielen did not say how many employees were affected, he said it was “very broad-based” and affected almost every department.
Employees will return based on department demand.
“We’re monitoring closely the demand for our services and where there is appropriate increase in demand, we’re working to make sure we appropriately staff those areas commensurate with the need for an employee presence,” Thielen said.
Mayo Clinic is providing COVID-19 tests for patients and is processing tests for area hospitals and organizations. Thielen said Mayo Clinic Laboratories is processing thousands of tests a day, determining results n less than 24 hours.
Mayo Clinic is providing testing to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department. It is processing tests from hospitals in Tampa, Orlando and in the Southeastern U.S.
“That has been beneficial for them to be able to get a quick turnaround in testing,” he said.