A top Kaiser Permanente executive said Sunday the large health care organization will postpone all non-urgent medical and dental procedures in Oregon and Southwest Washington through the end of the month, providing only urgent and emergency care or virtual appointments online.

Kaiser is anticipating an influx of patients amid the coronavirus outbreak and wants to reserve its medical staff and supplies in anticipation of an onslaught, said Wendy Watson, chief operating officer of Kaiser Permanente Northwest. Kaiser appears to be the first major Oregon medical provider to make such a decision, though others appear to be considering similar steps.

“We have what we need right now,” Watson said. “What we’re worried about is if the use stays high.”

No Kaiser employee has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to Watson, but she said the organization is considering that members of its own medical staff may be unable to work at times in the future because of exposure to the coronavirus or because they have contracted COVID-19, the disease associated with the virus.

Additionally, Watson said the school closures Gov. Kate Brown ordered to begin this week may prevent some staff from coming to work and lead to worker shortages.

Meanwhile, Watson said the outbreak is affecting production of critical medical supplies including goggles, swabs, face shields and masks – just as demand for those items is picking up. By eliminating the use of those supplies for appointments that aren’t urgent, she said, Kaiser can keep them in reserve for critical needs.

Kaiser is also postponing many dental appointments for the same reason. By reducing dental appointments by 75%, Watson said Kaiser estimates it can save 100,000 masks and 250,000 gloves per month for use caring for patients with critical needs.

Kaiser began notifying patients this weekend that they will need to reschedule their appointments, Watson said. In some cases, she said, patients may be able to substitute an online meeting for an in-person appointment.

Kaiser hospitals have already postponed 420 surgical or procedural cases scheduled for this coming week. Watson said the health organization will reassess the situation at the end of the month and decide whether to extend the delays.

Watson said Kaiser is taking similar steps in all the regions where it operates, which cover eight states plus the District of Columbia.

Kaiser Permanente is a managed care organization that provides medical care to 621,000 members in Oregon and Southwest Washington, and dental care to 291,000. It’s one of the area’s largest medical providers, operating two hospitals in the region plus 36 medical offices and 21 dental offices.

Other major Oregon medical providers indicated Sunday they also are considering delays in routine or elective procedures but none have announced such a decision yet.

“It’s an ongoing discussion internally, but no decisions have been made.” said Providence Health & Services spokesman Gary Walker.

Kaiser says its hospitals are treating just one COVID-19 patient currently, the first person identified with the disease in Oregon on February 28. That man, who has not been publicly identified, has been hospitalized for more than two weeks. Kaiser declined to comment on his condition.

Thirty-six people in Oregon have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to state health authorities, who reported the state’s first death due to the outbreak on Saturday. The victim was a 70-year-old man hospitalized at Portland’s Veterans’ Affairs Medical Center.

Gov. Kate Brown ordered a halt to large gatherings last week and shut down schools in hopes of containing the outbreak.

There remains a shortage in tests for coronavirus in Oregon across the country. Watson said Kaiser is continuing to use the Oregon Health Authority’s protocol for allocating coronavirus testing, limiting tests to those who need hospitalization for respiratory symptoms that cannot be explained by the flu or other established medical diagnoses.

Kaiser is still facing supply constraints on tests, Watson said, but hopes to begin in-house testing by the end of the month.

Kaiser has begun offering online screening to patients concerned they may have symptoms related to the coronavirus, and Watson said several hundred people daily are taking advantage of that option.

Already this weekend, Kaiser said it has converted 73% of outpatient appointments to virtual care by phone or video. The organization said 785 patients had virtual care Friday, up 600% from before the COVID-19 outbreak.

Correction: This article has been corrected to note that it requires a 75% reduction in dental visits, not a 25% reduction, to achieve the savings in supplies that Kaiser expects.

Oregonian reporter Brad Schmidt contributed to this report.

-- Mike Rogoway | mrogoway@oregonian.com | twitter: @rogoway | 503-294-7699

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