Arizona Hospitals and Health Systems’ Statewide Collaboration Producing a Triage Protocol During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

We describe the process by which all hospitals and health systems in Arizona, normally competitors, rapidly cooperated to develop a statewide protocol (“Addendum”) delineating how to allocate scarce resources during the COVID-19 pandemic should triage be required anywhere in the state. Eight physician ethicists from seven different health systems created the Addendum, which was accepted by all hospitals and health systems, approved by the State Disaster Medical Advisory Committee (SDMAC), and then formally adopted by the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS). In addition, the entire state developed a plan to “stick together” such that no facility would be forced to triage unless all were overwhelmed. Because we are unaware of any other state’s hospitals and health systems producing and committing to a shared triage protocol and plan, we believe this experience can serve as a model for other locales during the absence of sufficient state or federal guidance.