Doctors Struggling Financially Amidst the Coronavirus

During this turbulent time, many are reflecting on how the world operates amidst all of the changes and fluctuations. People are questioning why they do what they do, how the world will forever be impacted by the Coronavirus, and when things will return to “normal.” As many go about their days, they think of all the people risking their lives to help others and the sacrifices those people are making. While some might assume that medical workers are secure financially during this time, many are struggling to make ends meet as they make difficult choices like moving into short-terms rentals to avoid potentially infecting their families.

Many doctors who are not on the frontlines of the efforts to reign in the Coronavirus are facing serious challenges as well. These doctors have seen patient volumes plummet by forty to seventy percent. With lower patient volumes than normal, there is a fear that if these offices were forced to close, patients might have to travel across the region to reach a doctor, often endangering their lives. This is an especially pertinent fear in the sixty counties in Georgia that have no pediatrician.

While doctors are pleased to know their patients are following the shelter in place order, they want to ensure their patients are still getting the help they need. Doctors speculate that the fear of exposure to the Coronavirus is preventing some from visiting the doctor. Furthermore, there is concern that the economic situations many have been put in, have forced some to forgo medical appointments.

Doctors are working to combat the issue of patients wanting to avoid in-person care by offering telehealth options. Privia Medical Group has 300 medical providers who are now offering half of their visits virtually in order to allow people to stay home while getting help. Dr. Kim Jackson said, “In some cases, you really need to see the patient. If they need to get a pain injection or get a steroid shot or they have a bad asthma attack and need to get a breathing treatment, I can’t do that over the phone. I can’t do that over a video. And if I can’t be available to provide to a patient then they end up in the urgent care and ER — which is exactly where we don’t want them to be because we already know, with the pandemic, those systems are being overwhelmed.”

A group of doctors has asked the Georgia Department of Community Health to accelerate or advance Medicaid payments. Small and independent practices are experiencing drops in patient visits across the state. In their letter they wrote, “This trend is unsustainable, and if it continues for the next 90 days, many Medicaid patients will lose access to health care because of the permanent closure of these practices.” As doctors risk losing their livelihoods, many are risking losing access to healthcare providers.

In these trying times everyone is dealing with unexpected circumstances. Many who were thought would be fine are suffering. Collin Strachan perfectly sums up the circumstances doctors are dealing with: “You’d think they would do well through this, but the reality is the opposite. Basically, follow-up visits with current patients have been cancelled, new patients aren’t coming in because it’s not safe, and a business that relies on the billable activities of one person collapses.”