26 Health Care Groups Sign On To “Return To Procedures” Guidance
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed), the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN), and the American Hospital Association (AHA) today announced 26 additional health care professional societies and associations have signed on to their joint “Re-entry Guidance for Health Care Facilities and Medical Device Representatives.” Released in May, the guidance outlines principles and considerations to support the vital collaboration between health care personnel and medical device representatives as health care facilities consider when and how to safely resume elective surgeries paused during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’re seeing more and more hospital systems across the country announcing that now’s the time for patients to resume the essential care put on pause as a result of COVID-19. The guidance we released with AORN and AHA will help make that happen safely and responsibly. Our hope is that it is encouraging to millions of patients across the country to see so many professional medical societies that stand ready to get them back to the care they need,” said AdvaMed president and CEO Scott Whitaker.
“The expanded support for this guidance will facilitate resumption of health care procedures put on hold as a result of COVID-19, and the vital partnerships of nurses and medical device representatives in the provision of safe and effective patient care. Our guidance seeks to align access standards and processes across facilities, so we welcome the sign-on of each stakeholder,” said Linda Groah, CEO/executive director of AORN.
“Too many patients are in pain, and have conditions that may have worsened over the past several months due to postponement of recommended non-emergent care. Our guidance will help avoid further delays of essential care as health care providers take every precaution to ensure patient safety,” said Michelle Hood, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the AHA.
Additional groups signing on as supporters to the AORN/AHA/AdvaMed guidance include the: Ambulatory Surgery Center Association; American Academy of Ophthalmology; American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons; American Association of Nurse Anesthetists; American Burn Association; American College of Chest Physicians; American College of Surgeons; American Foregut Society; American Optometric Association; American Society of Anesthesiologists; American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons; American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses; Americas Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association; AO North America; Cervical Spine Research Society; Consortium for Universal Healthcare Credentialing; Heart Rhythm Society; National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel; North American Spine Society; Orthopaedic Trauma Association; Scoliosis Research Society; Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions; Society of Interventional Oncology; Society of Interventional Radiology; Strategic Marketplace Initiative; and Wound Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society.
The following links include a sampling of recent reports about hospital systems, care providers and other stakeholders on their readiness to resume scheduled services and procedures, and continue to provide essential care to patients in need:
- Cleveland Clinic’s message to patients on readiness, and related video
- CommonSpirit Health’s message on safely resuming health care procedures
- Dignity Health’s message on resumption of scheduled services
- Duke Health’s message on its commitment to keeping patients safe
- John Muir Health’s message to the community on procedure readiness
- St. Jude Medical Center’s message on resumption of procedures
- Southcoast Health’s message on continued readiness to provide urgent care
- UCLA Health’s message on welcoming surgery patients back
For more information on the AdvaMed Code of Ethics, including Section XIII, which defines and clarifies the appropriate role of medical technology company reps in the clinical setting, please click here.
# # #
AdvaMed member companies produce the medical devices, diagnostic products and health information systems that are transforming health care through earlier disease detection, less invasive procedures and more effective treatments. AdvaMed members range from the largest to the smallest medical technology innovators and companies. For more information, visit www.advamed.org.