More patients are going to clinicians but outpatient volumes are still down from this time last year, according to a study published in The Commonwealth Fund.
Researchers, assisted by healthcare technology company Phreesia, analyzed patient volumes for more than 50,000 providers that were Phreesia clients.
Here's what they found:
1. Visits for the week of June 14 were down 11 percent from the same time-period last year. Between March 15 to June 20, volume was down almost 40 percent.
2. Ambulatory practice volume declined nearly 60 percent by early April, but has recovered quickly since.
3. Volume decreases were greatest in states with an early surge of COVID-19 cases. Those states are still experiencing decreased volumes.
4. Telemedicine visits increased rapidly during the pandemic and peaked in April. Since the peak, telemedicine volume has declined but is still higher than it was before the pandemic.