A new study finds that visits to the doctor have rebounded somewhat from the beginning of the pandemic, but are still well below normal.
In April, Massachusetts researchers writing for The Commonweath Fund found that, across the country, medical practices were seeing 60% fewer patients for non-COVID-19-related matters than usual.
Health policy researcher Ateev Mehrotra of Harvard University said new data shows some of that business is back, partly because people are becoming more comfortable leaving their homes in general.
"I also think that the medical issues that they were having previously — there's been some pent-up demand for people needing to address issues that they kind of pushed off for a week or two weeks," Mehrotra said. "But now they really need to get care."
He said many doctors and hospitals have made a concerted effort to reach patients and let them know it was safe to come to the office and dangerous to put off care, especially for those with heart conditions or medical emergencies.
However, Mehrotra said visits across specialties are still down 30%, and many practices are facing a financial crisis.
One alternative approach many physicians are taking is telemedicine, in which they consult with patients over the phone or videoconferencing.
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker ordered health insurers to compensate doctors for telemedicine visits the same way they pay for in-person visits, though some doctors are skeptical they will still get the same amount of reimbursement.
Mehrotra said telemedicine now accounts for about 10% of all visits, compared to almost zero a few months ago.
"I mean, that's a remarkable change," he said. "And typically, we would think it would take decades, not a couple of weeks."
He said telemedicine visits are nowhere near making up for the overall decline in people seeking medical care.
