Tallying up Florence's impact on MUSC Health

While Florence did not drench or wind-whip the Charleston area as forecasters feared it might, the storm has had multiple effects at MUSC Health. 

First, virtual care visits spiked over the past week thanks to a pair of promotions. MUSC Health Virtual Care is an online way to see a health care provider. It recently launched, offering treatment for almost 80 medical issues. During the storm, people who used the promo code MUSCFLO were able to use the virtual care system at no charge. That’s in addition to another promo code already in use, MUSCCARES, which is still available and gives people their first visit at no charge.  

The number of people using MUSC Health Virtual Care jumped from a pre-storm average of two to three a day to 26 people a day over the past week as Florence threatened parts of South Carolina, first as a hurricane and then as a tropical storm. More than half were new to MUSC Health. 

Second, Florence led to a series of patient transfers to MUSC Health. “We planned to be a resource for other communities around the state if needed,” said chief operating officer Matt Wain. “We received calls regarding more than 50 patients impacted by the storm in Horry County, and received many of those patients here at MUSC Health as the storm approached.”

Horry County includes Myrtle Beach. Most of the transferred patients were brought to the intensive care unit at MUSC Health.

Third, kidney failure patients who normally get dialysis at their local clinics headed to MUSC Health as the governor’s evacuation order caused their regular clinics to close. MUSC Health stayed open and helped them get the life-saving treatment. Dialysis is a process that filters waste and extra fluid from the blood, something that would normally be done by the kidneys.

MUSC Health leaders were ready for Florence. In the days before its predicted arrival, they made sure there would be plenty of care team members on hand and backup systems for technology, medical supplies and more. A new light medium tactical vehicle was on standby, too, ready to ferry essential employees through floodwater if needed. And Medical University of South Carolina President David Cole, M.D., was a near-constant presence on campus, visiting patients and making sure his colleagues had what they needed as they prepared for Florence.  

The team could be tested again. The official Atlantic hurricane season doesn’t end until November 30.