Dallas-based Baylor Scott & White Health launched an advertising campaign this week asking patients to return to its hospitals after many had put off medical treatment due to the risk of COVID-19, according to The Dallas Morning News.
Nationwide, over half of adults age 70 or older said they had delayed or canceled some medical treatment due to the pandemic, according to an April survey from the University of Chicago.
Efforts to bring patients back into Baylor hospitals to help boost revenue began when Texas Gov. Greg Abbott lifted the ban on most elective procedures April 22. The new campaign is focusing on encouraging patients to come to Baylor hospitals by drawing attention to new safety measures. Alejandro Arroliga, MD, Baylor’s CMO noted that only 1 percent of employees exposed to COVID-19 patients had contracted the virus. In total, COVID-19 patients have accounted for less than 10 percent of admissions at Baylor hospitals.
Baylor has continued to ramp up safety measures by placing patients suspected of having COVID-19 in negative pressure rooms, testing all surgery patients for COVID-19 at a drive-thru location and requiring masks to be worn at all times in its facilities.
Baylor is also offering digital services, including home monitoring for quarantined patients and virtual waiting rooms.