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throwawaitnine t1_j0mcjwm wrote

We keep getting stories like this one that seem to contradict what we were previously told. I feel like last year or last month or two years ago or sometimes since March 2020 there was a story that hospitals lose money when fewer than 90% of beds are full.

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kellyoohh t1_j0miuk6 wrote

There is definitely an incentive to keep hospitals at close to capacity, that’s just economics. That being said, the surge we’re seeing right now is nothing I have ever seen before in my decade+ working at a Philly hospital.

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PhillyPanda t1_j0mjs4g wrote

What are the things you’re seeing most of, since it’s not flu/Covid? RSV? If so, is it primarily children?

If it’s the things mentioned in the article like heart disease, do you think lack of preventative care during Covid etc could be responsible for an uptick? Longer lasting side effects of having Covid starting to show?

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kellyoohh t1_j0mlwbx wrote

I should have specified, I work at a children’s hospital so it’s primarily RSV, though flu is definitely in full swing as well.

That said, we are just generally seeing higher acuity patients across the board. All our kids are sicker and require more care, on average. I don’t know for certain, but I would guess it’s a nice mixture of many things; reduced access to care (during COVID, due to clinician burnout/availability, long wait times, cost, etc.), side effects and a changing landscape of clinical presentation, mistrust of the healthcare system as a whole, etc. It’s messy.

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throwawaitnine t1_j0mqt1m wrote

You are the salt of the earth, I appreciate what you do. And I appreciate this unique insight.

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JennItalia269 t1_j0msg0i wrote

My friends kids got RSV. Was in the hospital for a week. It’s no joke.

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