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FRIDAY, June 26, 2020 (HealthDay News)<\/p>\n
Huge declines in patient visits during the coronavirus pandemic have slashed U.S. primary care doctors’ revenues, a new study finds.<\/p>\n
As a result of decreases in office visits and fees for services from March to May during the pandemic, a full-time primary care physician will lose an average of more than $65,000 in revenue in 2020.<\/p>\n
Overall, primary care practices nationwide stand to lose nearly $15 billion, according to the study led by a team from Harvard Medical School in Boston.<\/p>\n
“For many primary care practices, particularly those serving the most vulnerable populations, these losses could be catastrophic, with many practices being forced to close,” study author Dr. Sanjay Basu, a faculty affiliate at Harvard’s Center for Primary Care, said in a university news release. “This could weaken the U.S. health system dramatically at a time when we need it to be at its strongest.”<\/p>\n
Researchers warned that revenue losses would rise if there is a second wave of infection this year or reimbursement rates for telehealth visits return to pre-pandemic levels.<\/p>\n
Such losses could lead practices to close and worsen an existing shortage of primary care providers in the United States.<\/p>\n
“Our prior work shows that primary care saves lives, and loss of primary care practices will translate to lives lost across the United States,” said study co-author Dr. Russell Phillips, director of the Center for Primary Care.<\/p>\n
Co-author Dr. Bruce Landon, a professor of health care policy at the medical school, said the pandemic underscores the fragility of the primary care system in the United States.<\/p>\n
“Over half of primary care practices remain small and physician-owned and these independent practices have limited access to capital and other support that could help them weather the pandemic,” he noted.<\/p>\n
Researchers said their findings show the need for a plan to support independent primary care doctors and small, independent practices.<\/p>\n
The study was published June 25 in the journal Health Affairs<\/i>.<\/p>\n
— Robert Preidt<\/p>\n
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