Healthcare News of Note: Many hospitals report patient volumes returning to 2019 levels in June and July after lag in the early part of the year

• Many hospitals show a return to 2019 volumes in June and July despite a lag in admissions through April.
• The shift toward telehealth and other types of remote healthcare increased patients’ expectations for both frequency and relevance of provider-patient communications.
• The majority of nurses are comfortable educating patients about COVID-19 and recommending the COVID-19 vaccine.

1. Many hospitals showed a return to 2019 levels in June and July despite lag in admissions through April

A McKinsey study, based on a survey conducted July 16 to July 24, indicates many hospitals are showing a return to 2019 volumes in June and July, even though another recent study by Peterson-Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) showed a lag earlier this year.

Results of a survey of 100 private-sector hospitals across the United States  — released Aug. 12 by McKinsey — showed continuing “regional variations in patient volumes” but found that many hospitals are returning “to 2019 levels in June and July 2021.” 

An Aug. 18 article by McKinsey, based on the same survey, reported, “As patient volumes return and begin to exceed 2019 levels in the United States, and COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to be a factor, hospital leaders are taking a number of steps to meet increased demand and ensure access to care. These actions have included expanded clinic hours and increased physician productivity expectations, optimized operating room scheduling, and expanded operating room hours.”

A Peterson-KFF brief, which analyzed Epic Health Research Network (EHRN) data, said, “Hospital admissions remained below expected levels through at least April 9, 2021.”

In the week beginning April 3, according to the report, “hospital admissions were 85.5% of what would be expected based on historic patterns. Averaged over the first quarter of 2021, hospital admission rates were 89.4% of what would have been expected in the absence of the pandemic.”

McKinsey survey highlights

Survey results released Aug. 12 by McKinsey include:

• Hospitals in the Midwest reported inpatient admissions highest above 2019 baseline, with the West still below 2019.
• Emergency department and inpatient volumes were returning to 2019 levels, with respondents expecting those volumes to be roughly 5% to 6% higher in 2022.
• Outpatient and procedural volumes were 3% to 4% above 2019 levels in July and are projected to be 6% to 8% higher in 2022.
• Biggest challenges to increasing elective procedure volume are workforce shortages and OR room capacity.

Peterson- KFF brief highlights

Analysis of a HIPAA Limited Data Set from Epic customers (250 hospitals across 47 states, with 112 million patients) shows:

• Health spending in June 2021 was 7.1% below expected levels on an annualized seasonally adjusted basis.
• Spending on hospitals was 4.1% below expected health spending in June 2021.
• Since January 2021, annualized overall health services and hospital expenditures are growing at a similar rate as in 2017-20, prior to the pandemic.

“Many have wondered whether health care utilization will rebound or even increase to make up for the delayed or forgone care from the past year,” stated the authors of the Peterson-KFF brief. “If so, this pent-up demand has the potential to increase health spending now or in the coming year.”

2. SymphonyRM study: 50% of patients have higher expectations of their healthcare providers now than pre-pandemic

“The pandemic dramatically changed the healthcare industry and altered the patient experience,” according to results of a SymphonyRM survey released in August. “The shift towards telehealth and other types of remote healthcare increased patients’ expectations for both frequency and relevance of provider-patient communications.”

Half of 1,192 patients in the U.S. surveyed by SymphonyRM in May say they now have higher expectations of their healthcare providers than before COVID-19.

Patient communication/engagement priorities

Patients indicate they expect the following types of communication and engagement, according to the survey:

• Digital appointment scheduling (58%)
• Proactive communication (57%)
• Virtual appointments (54%)
• Remote monitoring (37%)
• Same-day appointments (35%)

Shift in how patients feel about their physicians

More than 23% of patients responding to the survey reported that their opinion of their doctor changed as a result of the pandemic. Of those whose opinion of their doctor changed:

• 59% gained confidence
• 41% lost confidence

Of those that lost confidence, the top reason was “infrequent communication about COVID-19,” according to the study.

“A drop in patient confidence can significantly deteriorate patient-provider relationships and hurt patient retention,” according to the survey authors. “Nearly one in five patients surveyed indicated they are considering switching to a new doctor based on their current provider’s response to COVID-19.”

Patients who feel more confident in their doctor following the pandemic cited frequent communication that educates them on how to prevent COVID-19 infection as a main reason, according to survey authors.

3. Survey: Most nurses are comfortable with patient education on COVID-19 vaccines and recommending the vaccine to patients

A majority of nurses are comfortable educating patients about COVID-19 and recommending the COVID-19 vaccine, according to a survey of 4,912 nurses in the U.S. by the COVID Vaccine Facts for Nurses Campaign.

Only 6% of nurses said they were not at all comfortable educating patients about the vaccine, and 10% said they were not at all comfortable recommending it.

What nurses still want to know about the vaccines

When it comes to what nurses feel they still need to know about the COVID-19 vaccine, the top five responses were:

1. Booster for vaccines (71%)
2. Long-term effectiveness (67%)
3. Long-term adverse effects (59%)
4. Variants and how to protect from variants (58%)
5. Vaccinations for children under 12 years old (53%)

How nurses feel about information on vaccines

Overall, 66% of the nurses said they get enough information on COVID-19 vaccines, with 87% relying on information from the CDC, NIH and other government organizations. And 55% rely on their professional association for insight, 49% on their employer and 48% on the news media.

Of those surveyed, 26% feel they do not get enough information on the COVID-19 vaccine, and 8% indicated they receive too much information.

The survey also provides details on the biggest concerns of patients who have not been vaccinated, how many of the nurses received the COVID-19 vaccine and the main concerns of nurses who have not been vaccinated.