Cautious optimism rules the day as practices leave 2020 behind
WAILEA, Hawaii — While ophthalmologists internalize the lessons learned from the worst months of the pandemic in 2020, there is room for optimism that practice numbers are returning to pre-COVID levels.
Sixty-seven percent of survey respondents at Hawaiian Eye 2021 said they believed cataract surgery volume would return to 2019 levels within 0 to 12 months, and 24% said it would take 12 to 24 months.
The early months of the pandemic created a “gap year” for patient recalls in 2021, James D. Dawes, MHA, CMPE, COE, and Bill Rabourn, said in a presentation on ophthalmology practice management in 2021.
“To lose March, April, May and in some cases, June, it’s going to be tough to make that up,” Rabourn said.
Uncertainty of regaining patient volume has contributed to a “big pause” regarding money management, Rabourn said. Sixty-nine percent of respondents said they were more cautious or conservative in regard to spending in 2021 than in pre-COVID years.
However, respondents were optimistic, with 28% saying their clinic volumes were 100% back to 2019 levels and 21% saying their volumes have exceeded pre-COVID numbers. Even more respondents, 31%, reported surgical volumes returned 100% to pre-COVID numbers, with 17% exceeding pre-COVID numbers.
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What’s new for 2021: The 2020 hangover. Presented at: Hawaiian Eye; May 8-14, 2021; Wailea, Hawaii.
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