The Pandemic’s Hidden Costs: Patients With Chronic Conditions Delaying Care

After one year since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the stark statistics show nearly 30 million cases in the United States with more than half a million deaths. This public healthcare crisis has far-reaching consequences beyond those contracting the virus, however, with two recent surveys showing that Americans, many with chronic conditions, are delaying or forgoing care during the pandemic. The Primary Care Collaborative (PCC), partnering with the Larry A. Green Center, has been surveying primary care clinicians and patients in the fall to better understand the impact of COVID-19.

Results released in November 2020 found that 56 percent of clinicians surveyed “have seen an increase in negative health burdens due to delayed or inaccessible care.”

“Our patients surveyed feel helpless and we are drowning trying to find ways to medically care for them,” one clinician in North Carolina told the survey.

Another survey released in the fall, using data from the Urban Institute’s coronavirus tracking survey, found that the “COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted health care in an unprecedented way, leading some patients to postpone or forgo care.”

“Patients are Becoming Sicker During the Pandemic”

The PCC clinician survey was conducted Oct. 16-19, 2021, and had responses from 47 states, the District of Columbia, and Guam. Some of the results point towards patients with chronic conditions delaying treatment they would normally receive because of the pandemic.

“Patients are becoming sicker during the pandemic. I’m seeing more uncontrolled diabetics and new diabetics. They prefer telehealth, yet have no access to glucose monitoring or blood pressure cuffs. I am concerned about patients’ isolation and mental health. People are delaying care,” said a Pennsylvania-based clinician, according to the survey.

The survey found that more than a third, some 37 percent, of primary care physicians said their patients with chronic conditions were in “noticeably worse health resulting from the pandemic.”

The overall mental health of patients has worsened during the pandemic, while physicians are seeing a rise in addiction among their patients, according to the survey.

The PCC survey, with 582 respondents total, also found that:

• 85 percent reported that the mental health of their patients had decreased during the pandemic.
• 31 percent were seeing a rise in patients suffering from addiction.

“The amount of patients with mental health concerns right now is significant,” said a physician based in Illinois. “There is great difficulty in helping them access behavioral health services. Appointments for new patients are 4-6 weeks out.”

Telehealth and Mobile Specialty Vehicles Have Become Critical Tools During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The PCC survey also found that the flexibility of telehealth has become a critical tool for maintaining access and addressing patients’ needs during the pandemic. “If [Medicare and Medicaid] stated we would not be able to continue telehealth, I would be out of business and I have over 3,000 patients,” said a physician in Washington state.

The survey of clinicians found that:

• 64 percent find telehealth has been important for their capacity to see patients.
• 38 percent use video visits for at least 1 in 5 of their patients; 35 percent use phone visits at the same level.
• 69 percent use telehealth for managing chronic conditions; 61 percent use telehealth for mental health visits.
• 60 percent rely on telehealth to screen patients prior to visits, preventing unnecessary population exposure.

Survey: More Than Half of Patients with Physical or Mental Conditions Delay Care

The Urban Institute survey, with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, found that “the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted health care in an unprecedented way, leading some patients to postpone or forgo care.”

Key takeaways included:

• 36 percent of adults reported delaying or forgoing health care because of worry about exposure to the coronavirus or because a health care provider limited services during the pandemic.
• 40.7 percent of adults with one or more chronic health conditions reported delaying or forgoing health care because of the pandemic.
• 56.3 percent of adults with both a physical and mental health condition reported delaying or forgoing health care because of the pandemic; 43.8 percent delayed or went without multiple types of care.
• The most common types of care delayed were dental (25.3 percent), general doctor or specialist (20.6 percent), preventative health screening, or medical tests (15.5 percent).

Three out of every four adults that delayed health care in the past year had one or more chronic conditions such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, kidney disease, mental health disorders, and respiratory disease.

The survey authors concluded that those delaying or forgoing health care reported it “negatively affected their health, ability to work, or ability to perform other daily activities, highlighting the detrimental ripple effects of delaying or forgoing care on overall health, functioning and well-being.

Contact Mobile Specialty Vehicles today to find out their state-of-the-art medical units can help your healthcare organization serve patients who have been delaying or forgoing medical care during the pandemic.