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The Impact of COVID-19 on Patient Care in the United States – Part 1

Supporting Patients and Staff During the Crisis and Beyond

Though stay-at-home orders are lifting Health maintenance in the require inpatient treatment, there was
in certain areas of the United States, the recovery or post-recovery stage only one psychiatric bed for every 3,000
COVID-19 pandemic is still greatly of an illness or condition also Americans. For comparison, that’s one-
impacting healthcare providers and raises concerns. Attending well- tenth of what was available in the 1950s.
patients. As new cases spike, personal checks, for example, has been The United States has been operating
protective equipment (PPE) shortages difficult with many offices in a mental health crisis for the past sev-
still abound, and many providers face closed, and can also be detri- eral years, with high rates of depression
financial hardship due to the cancella- mental to mental health. While and anxiety stressing mental healthcare
tion of elective surgeries and other in- some of these offices are reopen- options. COVID-19 has exacerbated
person medical procedures. This is com- ing, they could potentially close these issues and highlighted the need for
pounded by consumer hesitation regard- again if there is a second wave. changes to our healthcare system and the
ing physical doctor visits and routine 3. Mental Health way we view and approach mental ill-
care. BY DEB SHEEHAN AND The impact of COVID-19 on ness.
With many experts warning of the CHRIS COOPER, RN, MHA, MIM physical health has been signifi-
potential for a second wave, the health- cant, but what about the impact Part 2 will follow in the
care system may not have time to recover to mental health? Americans are October 2020 issue.
from this ongoing first stage. For for their care. Accident victims (the reporting higher rates of anxiety and
providers and patients navigating the number of which increase during hurri- depression than usual, according to
challenges associated with giving and cane season), patients with sickle cell recent surveys. To complicate matters, it
receiving care, the total impact of the disease, and patients in need of organ can be difficult to identify these symp- Deb Sheehan and Chris Cooper are
novel coronavirus has likely not yet been transplants also require blood and toms in the current environment. Managing Directors at The BDO Center for
felt. platelets. Symptoms normally associated with anx- Healthcare Excellence & Innovation.
Drug shortages have also become a iety and depression, such as changes in
How COVID-19 is Impacting major concern. The United Nations weight and sleeping habits, could also be Contact:
Patient Care recently called for countries and manu- a natural result of changes to routines Alfredo Cepero, Managing Partner
COVID-19 has had a striking impact facturers to begin preparing for a possi- due to COVID-19. 305-420-8006/ acepero@bdo.com
on the most central part of the healthcare ble shortage of HIV drugs within the Additionally, options for seeking inpa-
system: patient care. While providers next two months due to COVID-19 clo- tient treatment have been limited during Angelo Pirozzi, Partner
may be focused on restarting elective sures and higher costs from lockdowns. the pandemic. For those ill enough to 646-520-2870 / apirozzi@bdo.com
procedures and routine care, understand- In early June, several other drug short-
ing financial accounting and compliance ages were reported, including Zoloft (one
responsibilities, and maximizing cash of the nation’s most-prescribed antide-
flow, patients are still encountering road- pressants), hydroxychloroquine sulfate
blocks in receiving the care they need. tablets and six anesthesia drugs.
These shortages not only make it diffi-
Three Critical Ways the cult to treat patients, but they may also
Pandemic Has Impacted force doctors to decide which patients
Patient Care should get priority for certain supplies
1. Supply Shortages and which must go without.
The impact of supply shortages on 2. Access to Care
healthcare employees, and thus on the COVID-19 has made it difficult for
patients they treat, has been a hot topic many patients to access care not only for
throughout the course of the pandemic, diseases they have, but also for diseases
and it shows no sign of abating soon. that have yet to be diagnosed.
PPE shortages contribute to the spread of In 2020, the number of cancer diag-
COVID-19, making hospitals and other noses in the United States dropped dra-
in-person care locations less safe, espe- matically—not because cancer suddenly
cially for non-COVID-19 patients. In became obsolete, but because fewer can-
addition, PPE access issues contribute to cer screenings had been performed.
a higher rate of infection among health- These delays in screening could poten-
care employees. With so many healthcare tially lead to an increase in late-stage
employees becoming sick and unable to cancer diagnoses.
work, the strain on the healthcare system Delays in diagnoses aren’t the only
is even greater. The situation is particu- issue—delays in treatment also plague
larly dire in post-acute care organiza- patients and providers. Delaying elective
tions. The National Center for Assisted surgeries, for example, not only impedes
Living surveyed 375 of its members and a patient’s recovery but can also hurt hos-
discovered that 71% were reusing PPE pitals financially. Elective surgery does
while 40% were using homemade or not necessarily mean the surgery is
improvised PPE. optional; rather, it indicates a surgery can
PPE isn’t the only resource in shortage. be scheduled in advance. Some serious
Several weeks ago, the Red Cross report- conditions, such as cancer, require elec-
ed a serious blood shortage that has yet tive surgeries. Elective surgeries can
to be resolved. As of early June, the Red include kidney stone removal and kidney
Cross had enough blood to meet less donations by a living donor—other criti-
than two days’ worth of the United cal procedures.
States’ needs, whereas it typically has Patients are also avoiding hospital vis-
enough supply for five full days. As a its out of fear of contracting the virus. As
result, some hospitals are concerned they a result, it’s likely that many are remain-
will need to ration blood, which would ing at home and coping with symptoms
delay elective procedures that can be crit- rather than seeking treatment, causing
ical to patient safety. Cancer patients are providers to worry that people are put-
especially affected by blood shortages, as ting themselves at risk for severe health
blood and platelet donations are critical issues and even death.

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