As stay-at-home directives were enacted and only emergency care was permitted, health care providers saw their patient volumes drop drastically—which is why 97 percent of all medical group practices have experienced a negative financial impact directly or indirectly related to COVID-19, according to a survey by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA).1
The MGMA survey also reports patient volume falling 60 percent since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis. This drop affects health care more than other industries—where payment is received upon completion of service—because health care charges are usually filed through Medicare, Medicaid, or an insurance company, often causing payment to be deferred up to three months.2
But practices will not easily return to pre-pandemic caseloads as communities reopen, because the pandemic has been impacting health consumers' behavior due to trust and economics:
As stay-at-home directives are lifted, increasing your patient volume while ensuring patient and staff safety remains a priority—in both practice and perception. To keep patients safe, you must ensure you're following the latest pandemic-influenced protocols and considering the latest advances in care delivery. But to make patients feel safe, you'll need ways to communicate what you're doing to keep patients safe. Many patients who are seeking medical diagnosis and treatment will have concerns about COVID-19 infection.
Learn more in the following sections about how we can partner with you to bring back your patient volume and improve the health of your practice.
Ensure patients feel safe and confident that their experience will include the highest levels of care.
Keep pace with the latest CMS standards for screening, sanitation, PPE, and staff training.
One of telehealth's many benefits is to enable you to increase your patient volume without the risk of exposure.
Applying new technology to administrative tasks not only improves efficiency, but also reduces risk to patients and staff.