As flu season approaches, primary care continues to struggle with COVID-19

With more than 200,000 COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. and the 2020-2021 influenza season about to start, survey data show many primary care clinicians continue to experience financial hardship and fatigue.

“As we move into the fall, we anticipate the potential of another COVID-19 wave along with the cold and flu season,” Ann Greiner, president and CEO of the Primary Care Collaborative, told Healio Primary Care. “In that context, what worries me is that practices report that they are still underwater in terms of their revenue, patient volume and full complement of staff.”

The survey, sent out by the Larry A. Green Center from Sept. 4 to 8 in partnership with the Primary Care Collaborative, had 489 responses from primary care clinicians in 49 states. Among respondents:

• 49% reported that mental exhaustion from work is at an all-time high;
• 48% said that in-person volume is 30% to 50% below normal and will remain that way for some time;
• 38% indicated that they have staff members who work limited hours due to child or elder care needs;
• 33% reported that they have empty staff positions they cannot fill;
• 33% also said they work longer hours to make up for losses but still are not near pre-pandemic levels;
• 27% indicated that “previous pandemic financial support” has run out or is about to; and
• 3% reported that they will likely close before December without additional state or federal support.

Greiner said some of the concerns among primary care clinicians have changed over the past 6 months.

Ann Greiner

“Trying to find a silver lining, the survey responses related to practice financial viability are not as worrisome before practices successfully pivoted to telehealth,” she said.

Now, the biggest stressors appear to be balancing “patient needs and declining practice revenue with personal issues such as taking care of kids at home,” Greiner added.

The survey also showed that most respondents — about 80% — said that payers were still supporting telehealth, which is encouraging, Greiner said.

“Physicians are feeling pretty good about the use of telehealth,” she said. “Everyone hopes that [CMS’ recent telehealth decisions] stay in place after the pandemic and that all commercial plans follow suit.”