There’s a new health care crisis impacting hospitals in Massachusetts.
The Department of Public Health has declared much of the state’s health care system “high risk” as of last week because of a backlog of patients waiting to be discharged.
The greater Boston area, as well as northeastern Massachusetts, has been elevated to a “Tier 3” risk level – on a scale of 0-4.
The Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association said the recent serious financial challenges at Steward Health Care have been a major catalyst for the hospital capacity crunch.
Those areas join southeastern Massachusetts, the Cape and the Islands, which has been Tier 3 since the beginning of 2023.
That designation has been due in part to the prolonged closure of Norwood Hospital due to flooding, as well as the fire at Brockton Hospital.
MHA said on any given day, more than one thousand people who are awaiting discharge from hospitals are stuck in those facilities with no ability to be transferred to the next level of care. Staffing issues, as well as a robust cold and flu season, have exacerbated the problem.
MHA said the crisis could result in hospitals slashing elective, non-urgent procedures and services.
To try avoiding that, Massachusetts General Hospital asked the state last month to add more than 90 inpatient beds. But that would take time to implement.
