ECMC elective surgeries resume

Emergency services enhanced with opening of KeyBank Trauma and Emergency Department

Public urged not to hesitate to come to ER if they have been injured or think they’re having a serious medical condition

With the announcement earlier this week that all elective surgeries may resume in Western New York, ECMC has ramped up its surgical procedure protocols to accommodate the many elective surgeries that had been on hold since March 19, when New York state suspended elective surgeries due to the pandemic. Previously, ECMC had been approved on May 17 to resume outpatient elective surgeries.

With the resumption of these important elective surgery procedures, ECMC reminds patients that all COVID-19 pre-surgery procedures remain in place, and that each patient will be instructed on the necessary steps to take, including COVID-19 testing, before their elective surgery takes place.

In addition, with opening of the new, state-of-the-art KeyBank Trauma and Emergency Department, ECMC encourages the public not to hesitate to come to the ER if they have been injured or think they’re having a serious medical condition (see attached PDF).

As with the aforementioned elective surgery process, any patient coming to the ER will receive a temperature screening before they enter the building. As with every area of ECMC’s health campus, continuous disinfectant cleaning occurs in every area of the facility and all patients and staff are required to wear a surgical mask. These necessary precautions help maintain a clean environment and patients should not be uncomfortable coming to ECMC for any form of health care services.

ECMC’s commitment to a safe environment of care is reinforced by its recent receipt of an overall patient safety score of “A” as rated by the nation’s preeminent safety organization, The Leapfrog Group, an independent, national not-for-profit organization founded more than a decade ago by the nation’s leading employers and private health care experts. ECMC had previously earned the organization’s highest patient safety score in April 2017. The Leapfrog patient surveys assess medical errors, accidents, injuries, infections and patient experiences. The national organization is committed to driving quality, safety, and transparency in the U.S. health care system. ECMC was one of 12 hospitals in New York to receive the Leapfrog “A” patient safety rating. The Leapfrog Group national survey rates over 2,600 hospitals across the U.S. Nationally, ECMC joins the ranks of other national health care systems receiving a Leapfrog “A,” such as the Cleveland Clinic and Mayo Clinic.