Listen to this articleSmall businesses, including private medical practices, are among the hardest hit by the recent pandemic. Learn how practitioners are coping with COVID.
The recent COVID-19 pandemic has pushed most, if not all, of America to stay at home to slow down the spread of the virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention strongly discouraged mass gatherings, and states and cities declared stay-at-home orders as early as March 2020. People have no choice but to go out only for supply runs and for their jobs if their company is classified as an essential business.
Private Practices in Danger
Non-essential companies have the choice of either suspending their processes, operating at a limited capacity, working from home, or shutting down completely. Private practices like small-time medical clinics, therapists, dentists, ophthalmologists, and radiologists are particularly in danger. This is because unlike other businesses, they make most of their profits from physical appointments. And most of the medical aid is given to large corporate and public hospitals to help deal with the continuously rising cases of COVID-19.
A study by Doximity, a networking platform for physicians, found that over 18% of private practitioners in the U.S. considered postponing their operations. About 12% said that they were permanently closing their business. About 86% of them considered remaining open for business with added social distancing measures in their operations.
Income Issues
Even if the majority of private practitioners in the United States are staying open, they’re still in hot water. The Doximity report showed that a fifth of the respondents stated that they had financial concerns and saw a significant drop in revenue. They also had problems maintaining relationships with patients because of the recent stay-at-home orders.
A similar study by the Medical Group Management Association also found the same results. It surveyed over 724 medical practices and found that over 97% of respondents said the pandemic had a negative effect on their financials. The Texas Medical Association also reported that 68% of its respondents stated that they had to reduce their work hours significantly because of the pandemic. More than half of them even said that they cut their salaries.
Some practices have resorted to accepting donations from crowdfunding campaigns created by their patients to keep their business open and their employees paid. The pandemic is truly difficult not only for mainstream medical practitioners in the frontline but also for those who deliver other forms of healthcare.
How Private Practitioners are Coping With COVID
Businesses, especially those in the healthcare industry, have to adapt if they want to continue to help their patients. ; Here are some of the efforts that private practitioners take to cope with the pandemic.
• Telemedicine — Practitioners are now implementing software for comprehensive electronic health records (EHR), with telemedicine and e-prescription capabilities. This allows them to connect with patients and provide the medical help the patients need without leaving the safety of their homes. It’s most effective for mental health practitioners like psychiatrists and therapists.
• Social Distancing Measures — Some practices, like dentistry, may still require physical appointments to ensure the best care. As such, some businesses have implemented digital check-ins to keep physical contact with employees to a minimum.
Some may put up plastic barriers in between seats in waiting rooms or space chairs six feet apart. ; Patients are required to wear a mask and wash their hands with sanitizer before and after visiting the facility. Some practices stagger appointments so that there fewer patients would come in contact with each other in waiting rooms.
• Staff PPE and Testing — Doximity found that practitioners are willing to provide their staff with full personal protective equipment and COVID-19 testing. However, they’re concerned about the availability of traditional PPE and the reliability of testing equipment.
The Future of Private Practices During the Pandemic
The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) allocated $30 billion to healthcare. Apart from helping frontliners, this budget aims to assist other practitioners and healthcare providers in getting back on their feet. The HHS also extended the paycheck protection act to help businesses continue paying their employees during the lockdown.
Some counties are reopening in the U.S. These are often rural ones in Oregon, Washington, California, and more that haven’t been hit as hard as their urban counterparts. A lot of cities are still in lockdown. The U.S. still has the highest number of COVID cases across the world. While vaccines are being developed at record speeds, they still need time to be tested properly for mass implementation.
In unprecedented times like a pandemic, the small businesses and private practices often get hit the hardest. Because their patients rely on them for professional healthcare, they must adapt to the new normal and implement innovative ways to provide care like telemedicine or proper social distancing during appointments. Plus, the government and community must provide adequate support not only to major hospitals but also small-scale practices.
Activate Social Media:
