Nebraska governor orders hospitals to limit elective surgical procedures

Editor's Note

On August 26, Nebraska Gov Pete Ricketts announced multiple initiatives to increase bed capacity and boost hospital staffing in his state amid the latest wave of COVID-19, including a health measure to limit elective surgical procedures.

He directed hospitals to cancel elective inpatient surgical procedures “that can wait 4 weeks or longer without substantially changing a patient’s outcome.”

Gov Ricketts also issued an executive order to authorize credentialing of retired or inactive healthcare workers, defer continuing education requirements, and suspend rules to free up new healthcare providers seeking a license to begin practicing in Nebraska.

The measures take effect August 30 and will remain in force through September 30, 2021, unless renewed.