Mass General Hospital Seeks More Beds Amid Unprecedented Capacity Crisis

Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston is facing a "capacity disaster" and urgently needs more beds to combat the ongoing crisis, with the emergency department operating in Code Help or Capacity Disaster status for the past 16 months. The hospital president described the situation as a "full-blown crisis" for patients and staff, with patients spending hours waiting for inpatient beds and contributing to clinician burnout. Efforts to address the crisis include increasing inpatient beds, facilitating earlier discharges, and providing home hospital services. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health issued a memo urging expedited discharge planning to mitigate pressure on the hospital's staff, and MGH has launched a new website to provide information about its response to the crisis.