Physician practices found themselves forced by necessity and government orders to shut down or dramatically limit their in-person care, rely heavily on telehealth, experience large financial losses and scramble for diminishing stocks of personal protective equipment (PPE).

Based on feedback from Part B News, several U.S. states are allowing medical offices to reopen, usually with precautions. Even jurisdictions that have been conscientious about flattening the curve are doing so including Washington state.

Massachusetts’ Commonwealth Fund, which reported on April 23 that the number of visits to ambulatory care practice visits nationally had “declined by nearly 60%,” said on May 19 that practices were showing a “rebound” and were about 30% off their baseline numbers.

Providers and administrators have welcomed back patients, with added caution and with some innovations. All report heightened infection control measures, such as socially distanced intake, sneeze guards and temperature checks.

In addition to standard Reports show that supplies of PPE generally remain spotty in the United States. A recent National Nurses United survey of about 23,000 nurses finds “87% of respondents reported having to reuse a single-use disposable respirator or mask with a COVID-19 patient.”

Most medical practice personnel acknowledge a hit to their finances. (Part B News and MGMA) They say they have done their best to protect their staff. Practices have in some cases needed to reduce hours of staff and/or reduce the compensation of their physicians.

Practices are quick to share their positive feedback regarding telemedicine. Providers are hoping that CMS and Private Payers will continue to support the expansion and increased reimbursement for telehealth services.

Some practices are seeing patients returning to offices at a rate of 20%-50% of pre-COVID-19 visit levels. Patients at 60+ years old are clearly more cautious about going anywhere. We think this trend will continue as evidenced by people’s reluctance to return to restaurants, retail, personal care establishments, etc.

The feedback from physician practices across the country confirm that we are dealing with a “new normal” until a vaccine can be discovered and distributed. Providers need to transition to a different service environment to meet the needs of their patients, clinicians, and staff during the remainder of the pandemic.