As a hospitalist on the front lines of COVID-19, I know firsthand how the homeostasis of a hospital is altered when community cases of COVID-19 increase. For example, emergency departments immediately enact novel pathways and protocols for triage, evaluation, and admission (1). Hospitals begin to assess and enhance inpatient capacity, often by opening units not traditionally used for general medical care (for example, postoperative care units) as COVID-19–designated areas (2). Additional tactics, such as decreasing elective surgical cases, merging specialized intensive care units (ICUs), and offering staff moonlighting opportunities to increase critical care capacity, are also pursued. And in short order, hospital command centers spring up to monitor patient flow, streamline communication, and coordinate activities ranging from patient visitation policies to media releases (3).
