Independent medical practices haven't reached a consensus on when patient volumes will return to normal, according to a new survey conducted by Kareo.
Kareo, a software provider for independent practices, received responses from 500 practices. The groups represented various medical specialties.
Six takeaways:
1. More than 20 percent of medical practices surveyed had completely closed as of late April, up from 9 percent in late March. Complete shutdowns were most prevalent among physical therapy and other specialty practices.
2. For practices that remained open, patient volumes have dropped an average of 40 percent during the pandemic. Average volumes were down over 65 percent for physical therapy clinics.
3. About 1 in 3 respondents expect volumes to recover in May, and another 30 percent don't think that will happen until late June.
4. Nearly half of medical practices expect volumes to surge as a result of early-pandemic case delays.
5. By the end of April, 32 percent of open practices were exclusively providing services via telemedicine, and 17 percent were offering solely in-office care. The remaining 51 percent of respondents are offering both.
6. It's the first time deploying telemedicine for 48 percent of respondents, and more than 70 percent of practices now using telemedicine expect to continue leveraging it post-pandemic.