Massachusetts is ordering hospitals with limited capacity to reduce nonurgent procedures by 50 percent starting Dec. 15.
The guidance, issued Dec. 10 by Gov. Charlie Baker's administration, updates a Nov. 23 order that required hospitals to reduce elective procedures by 30 percent.
The new guidance only applies to hospitals and health systems that have less than 15 percent available intensive care unit and medical/surgical bed capacity.
The administration said the move is necessary to combat a critical staffing shortage in Massachusetts that has caused the loss of about 500 medical-surgical and ICU beds.
The administration also said hospitals are seeing higher patient volume, mostly because of non-COVID-19 reasons.
In addition to the order addressing hospital capacity, Massachusetts also issued a COVID-19 emergency order granting hospitals flexibility on ICU nursing staff ratios and creating capacity in alternative spaces.
"The Commonwealth's hospitals continue to face significant challenges due to staffing shortages," Massachusetts HHS Secretary Marylou Sudders said. "Today's actions will help alleviate pressures by providing hospitals with staffing flexibility in order to reopen inpatient capacity in licensed and alternate space not currently being utilized."