Optimization of physician resources in primary care during a pandemic: A ‘hot’ and ‘cold’ team approach

BACKGROUND: Healthcare in rural localities has faced unique pressures in the midst of the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic. METHODOLOGY: The Marathon Family Health Team physicians created a novel pandemic model that divides active physicians into ‘hot’ and ‘cold’ teams with a “sideline” reserve based on physician infectious status and ongoing exposure risk, in order to address the potential instability of small medical groups in isolated situations. RESULTS: Implemented in stages, the model maximizes group agility and healthcare provisions, while minimizing the risk of physicians as vectors for transmission or a possible healthcare system collapse from simultaneous physician incapacitation. CONCLUSION: The hot/cold pandemic model can be applied to various healthcare facilities, including but not limited to hospitals and assessment centres, and the model's scale can be further adjusted for larger settings. By making use of incapacitated physicians who have been “sidelined” due to illness or burnout but still able to work from home, this model is integrative, efficient and innovative.