TABLE 1.

Role of the PCSS in Identifying Issues and Solutions

Issue	Group Affected	PCSS Action	Result
Concern about discharging patients with high oxygen requirements with exertion	Patients with oxygen levels >2 L/minwith exertion	Group coordination to develop a protocol involving multiple groups	New Home Oxygen Pathway with specific attention to this group of patients
Patients unable to discharge to care facilities due to COVID-19	Patients no longer meeting inpatient criteria but unable to return home	Group coordination to determine what care facilities would deem acceptable acceptance criteria	Negative COVID-19 nasopharyngeal swabs times two was considered acceptable risk and patients then were transferred successfully to care facilities
Lack of standardization in discharge care for patients with COVID-19	All COVID-19-positive inpatients	Group coordination between extensive stakeholders including outpatient providers, telehealth monitoring, and respiratory therapy	Standardized discharge pathway easily orderable through the EMR with the additional benefit of standardized “dot phrases” allowing standardized verbiage in the chart and for home-going
Respiratory therapy overwhelmed by need for home oxygen to be completed coupled with increase in tracheostomy care and complex respiratory issues	Respiratory therapy	Group creation of a new group of back-up respiratory therapists	Allows main respiratory therapists to provide direct patient care while back-up therapists completed the challenging home oxygen process