Public-health officials have directed Americans to stay home to slow the coronavirus spread and ease the burden on health-care providers. Most areas of the country are succeeding — so much so that hospitals and physicians are hemorrhaging cash due to declining demand for care, according to a Wall Street Journal editorial. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last month recommended that health-care providers postpone “elective” procedures to free up capacity and conserve protective equipment for treating coronavirus patients. Governors have likewise ordered providers and citizens to reschedule “non-essential” appointments. For better or worse, these directions are being stringently observed. It’s impossible to forecast the human cost from this suspension of care. Aggressive cancers may go undetected. Chronic conditions that have been controlled with regular check-ups and medicines may worsen. While doctors can prescribe drugs over the phone or web, physical exams and medical imaging are needed to diagnose many ailments. Then there’s the financial cost to the health-care system. Most doctors and hospitals make most of their money on elective procedures for privately insured patients. Now their largest revenue stream has dried up. Outside of a few hot spots, few providers are inundated with coronavirus patients. They are having to cut pay and furlough staff to stay afloat. Oxford Economics forecasts that 1.5 million “non-essential” health-care workers will lose their jobs this month. The Mayo Clinic is cutting physician salaries by 10 percent. Boston Medical Center is furloughing 10 percent of its workforce. Cincinnati-based Bon Secours Mercy Health, with 43 hospitals and 1,000 outpatient facilities across seven states, is furloughing employees who aren’t treating coronavirus patients. Politicians and the press are praising health-care providers for their courage and sacrifice, and well they should. But shutting down other medical services to fight Covid-19 may put many of those same providers out of business, according to the editorial. Read more. (Subscription required.)
*The views expressed in this commentary are from the author/publication cited, are meant for informative purposes only, and are not an official position of ABI.
