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Business Insider Intelligence

New survey data reveals that nearly half of patients are forgoing care amid the pandemic

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A Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) poll revealed that almost half (48%) of US patients have either deferred or skipped medical care as a result of the pandemic — and 11% of those patients reported that their medical conditions have worsened as a result. Further, an Alliance of Community Health Plans survey noted that 40% of US patients would delay care for at least six months.

Healthcare providers are struggling financially due to low patient volumes and canceled procedures — and while telehealth has been lauded as a balm to retain business, many patients may be more likely to put off visits than opt for a virtual one.

Social distancing recommendations during the pandemic have spurred substantial financial losses for both primary care practices and hospitals. 1 in 5 primary care offices are at risk of closure as they face declining patient traffic. And many hospitals have canceled or postponed elective surgeries since the pandemic began, leaving them in financial distress — as a result, they're facing up to $203 billion in losses by the end of June, according to the American Hospital Association.

Some providers are starting to reschedule canceled procedures, but many doctors worry that fear of the coronavirus will cause new referrals to trickle in much slower — suggesting that we may continue to see diminished patient volumes for the foreseeable future once the backlog procedures dry out. 

Telehealth has been touted as the solution to offset drops in in-person visits, but the KFF data shows many US patients are putting off care altogether — which could signal that many patients don't plan to access telehealth, either. We think patients who aren't accustomed to virtual visits may struggle to make the transition.

And it's likely that the 48% of respondents to the KFF survey who said they're skipping care amid the pandemic are simply opting to wait for traditional in-office care once outbreaks subside — 32% would wait up to 3 months to receive care, while another 10% would put care off for up to a year, for instance — which could further exacerbate primary care practices' and hospitals' financial troubles.

Providers could likely offset the decline in patient volume if they persuade more patients to try telehealth — and we think they should turn to the likes of Zocdoc to help patients make the pivot. Data from the ACHP reveals about 90% of customers who use telehealth are satisfied, and 46% of respondents are comfortable using telehealth — indicating that once patients try telehealth they tend to like it, so providers should make it easier for their patients to make the switch.

We think providers could hook in more patients virtually by leveraging appointment-booking platforms that explicitly note whether clinicians offer virtual care options. Zocdoc, for example, has a call-to-action on its site that helps customers easily find video visits, displays in-network providers that offer video consultations, and lets patients easily schedule virtual appointments.

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