Absorbing Citywide Patient Surge during Hurricane Sandy A Case Study in Accommodating Multiple Hospital Evacuations

The authors of this study conducted interviews with 71 key staff from four hospitals in New York City after Hurricane Sandy to identify medical surge strategies used. More specifically, these hospitals received patients from evacuated healthcare facilities during and after the hurricane. Results indicated that there were improvement opportunities in the following areas: prolonged increased patient volume, an increase in the number of methadone and dialysis patients, ability to absorb displaced staff, the challenges associated with nursing homes that have evacuated and shelters that have already reached capacity, and reimbursements for transferred patients.