Were UNC Rex patients at risk during the storm? Hospital accrediting agency to review
The leading accrediting body for U.S. hospitals will evaluate whether patients at UNC Rex Hospital were at risk during a power outage Monday night.
Several units of UNC Health Rex in Raleigh lost power for more than an hour as a result of a lightning strike, hospital spokespeople said.
Tuesday morning, a spokesperson for the Joint Commission said the accreditation organization was aware of the outage and would be “opening a case” to determine whether the incident caused unsafe conditions for patients.
Depending on the findings from this evaluation, the organization may take further actions against the hospital, a spokesperson told the N&O.
If the situation raises concerns about a continuing threat to patient safety, for example, the Joint Commission may conduct an evaluation of the hospital outside of the normally scheduled assessments.
The details of the concern may also be incorporated into a database used to monitor patient safety and quality issues, a spokesperson said.
If the health system does not address the concern, its accreditation status may be adversely impacted. UNC Rex Hospital currently has a “Gold Seal of Approval” from the Joint Commission.
UNC Health had “not heard from the Joint Commission,” by Tuesday afternoon, said Phil Bridges, a spokesperson for the health system.
There was no harm to any patients or staff as a result of the outage, Bridges said. He added that because the power loss occurred in the evening, no procedures were delayed or postponed.
Doctors in the cardiac catheterization lab and the operating room “continued procedures that were already in progress,” Bridges said.
Storm caused power outage
Around 7:40 p.m. Monday, as storms rolled through central North Carolina, hospital officials said a lightning strike caused a power surge that tripped circuit breakers and cut power to some areas of the hospital. Power was restored about an hour and 20 minutes later — around 9 pm.
Bridges said the power surge shut down the Automatic Transfer Switch, which prevented the surge from damaging hospital systems and equipment.
“Our system reacted the way it was designed to prevent major damage to hospital equipment,” he said.
Other parts of the hospital impacted by the power surge included:
Emergency Department
- Women’s Center (which includes Labor & Delivery)
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Post-Anesthesia Care Unit
Some areas of Radiology
- Transfer Center
- Neuro Intensive Care Unit
No admitted patients were transferred out of Rex during the outage, though the hospital temporarily stopped accepting new patients during that time.
The storms resulted in power outages across the Triangle with Wake County hit the hardest. Over 72,000 Duke Energy customers in Wake County were without power at 9:45 p.m., according to the utility’s website. There were reports of downed trees and power lines.
UNC Rex Hospital is at the intersection of Lake Boone Trail and Blue Ridge Road in west Raleigh.
Teddy Rosenbluth covers science and health care for The News & Observer in a position funded by Duke Health and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. The N&O maintains full editorial control of the work.
This story was originally published August 7, 2023 at 11:24 PM.
