Mass. General declares ‘capacity disaster’

Massachusetts General Hospital is facing an “unprecedented crisis” as it grapples with an ongoing “capacity disaster” that’s leaving hundreds of patients without beds.

The Boston hospital announced Friday that its Emergency Department (ED) is reaching critical capacity levels, with sick patients waiting several hours for an inpatient bed. Nearly every day for the past 16 months, the hospital’s ED has operated in a state of “Code Help” or “Capacity Disaster.”

The crisis comes as illnesses like COVID-19, flu, RSV, and other winter viruses surge.

According to a hospital spokesperson, “Code Help” happens when inpatient beds and hallway stretchers are full, and “Capacity Disaster” is triggered when the ED is full, all hallway stretchers are being used and there are more than 45 inpatients boarding in the ED awaiting a hospital bed.

Between October 2022 and September 2023, patients boarded in the hospital’s ED for a total of 381,228 hours, which was a 32 percent increase from the previous 12-month period, according to the announcement.

In September, patients admitted to Mass. General boarded for a median of 14.1 hours per patient, and 26 percent of admitted patients boarded in the ED for more than 24 hours. Hospital officials said those patients often wait in stretchers or chairs in hallways or other temporary spaces. On Jan. 11, Mass. General experienced one of the most crowded days in its two-century history, with 103 patients boarding in its ED, according to the hospital.

Hospital President David F.M. Brown called the situation “a full-blown crisis” for emergency patients and healthcare workers due to the post-pandemic demand for care.

“Put simply, every day, between 50 and 80 patients spend the first night of their hospitalization in the ED, which is not an appropriate or therapeutic environment for anyone and contributes significantly to clinician burnout and frustration,” said Brown.

Mass. General is one of many Massachusetts hospitals struggling with an overflow of patients. As a result, hospitals across the state have begun prioritizing faster discharges to free up beds. Earlier this month, several health insurance providers agreed to waive prior authorizations that delay the discharge of patients well enough to go home. 

The hospital directed the public to a new webpage to learn more about how it’s handling the crisis. 

Morgan Rousseau

Morgan Rousseau is a freelance writer for Boston.com, where she reports on a variety of local and regional news.

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