[Hojczyk]

ICUs run at 80 to 90% all the time...

How many are there for something else but test positive for Covid?.

[rlmorel]

I tell that to people all the time.

Any hospital worth its salt runs its hospital at the highest occupancy rate that it can, reserving enough space for an influx. IIRC, 70-75% or below occupancy rate is undesirable.

When you realize there are a lot of people staffed RNs, Physicians, Respiratory Therapy, expensive equipment, and everything that goes along with that, you don’t want them idle. You want as many of them employed treating patients and the hospital getting paid for it.

You need to keep some head space, but...not too much.

[Myrddin]

Hospitals try to fill ICU beds because they can bill more money. The standard of care that qualifies as ICU is pretty low. I know from in person experience with my wife after a DKA set off tonic/clonic seizures at home. I was in the ER and ICU with her most of the day. The nursing staff rarely checked-in. The 2nd seizure was not triggered by DKA. It did result in a good EEG capture and a prescription for an anti-convulsive. Once again, the ICU was anything but "intensive". It was an opportunity to charge a higher rate for a bed.