Epistatacadam on Nostr: I suspect the mistake is assuming that once the surge in need is over, everything ...

I suspect the mistake is assuming that once the surge in need is over, everything returns to normal almost at once. I recall a study done at I think KCH that showed (when normal bed occupancy was about 75%) if you became full for a single night, due to a flu outbreak, or norovirus, then the hospital took three months to return to status quo ante. Thus aiming for Bed Occ of 85% elongates the delays created by a short surge: 'flu outbreaks traditionally hit locally as snowstorms!