Survey: Primary care practices, patients continue to face hardships amid COVID-19
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Primary care practices and patients alike are continuing to face financial hardships and worsening health during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to results of a recent survey.
“Keeping primary care robust and able to respond to myriad patient needs — medical and beyond — is going to take payers committed to continuing telehealth parity, reducing financial barriers patients face in getting primary care, and providing additional support,” Ann Greiner, president and CEO of the Primary Care Collaborative, said in a press release. “Further strengthening primary care is good medicine for patients and the health system overall.”
The survey, which was conducted by the Larry A. Green Center, the Primary Care Collaborative and 3rd Conversation, included 1,472 primary care clinicians from 49 states and Guam.
Among them, 25% reported that they permanently lost members of their practices, 41% reported that they had unfilled positions and 44% reported facing salary cuts.
Those who responded also noted health-related issues among their staff, with 57% of clinicians saying that they experienced health declines due to stress and fatigue and 63% reporting that their staff is out due to illness or quarantine.
In addition, 25% of respondents said their fee-for-service volume is down by more than 30%, and 20% continue to waive copays and reduce fees for patients.
Clinicians also reported that they expanded the use of telehealth to address patient needs; 64% said that they used telehealth for mental health counseling and 68% reported using telehealth for visits with patients who have chronic conditions. Half of respondents said most telephone visits were not covered at an equal rate as in-person visits.
Many still face testing challenges — 26% said they had difficulty getting patients tested for COVID-19 and 29% said they referred patients to designated respiratory clinics for COVID-19 testing.
Patient health continues to suffer: 9 in 10 clinicians said they observed worsening mental health in their patients and 37% reported seeing an increase substance abuse.
Additionally, 63% said they saw increases in patient unemployment and 39% observed increased health insurance losses among their patients. A third of primary care clinicians also observed increased food and housing insecurity.
Finally, 61% of clinicians said that they spent a significant amount of time with patients combating misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic and 43% reported being overwhelmed by a high volume of questions from patients. Rebecca Etz, PhD, co-director of the Larry A. Green Center, said in the press release that these trends will likely continue when a vaccine becomes available and as cases continue to rise.
“Our nation needs primary care’s front door open,” she said. “Patients trust primary care to explain the facts and guide their choices.”
References:
Primary Care Collaborative. Primary care & COVID-19: Week 23 survey.