IRVINE, Calif., April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- For the second time since the pandemic began, Kareo has conducted a comprehensive survey to examine how independent medical practices are being impacted by and responding to the coronavirus pandemic. In late April, 500 medical practices, broadly representing primary care, medical specialty, mental health, and physical and occupational therapy professionals, were interviewed by Kareo, the leading provider of cloud-based clinical and business management software for independent healthcare practices. Just over 20% of the survey respondents reported complete closures of their medical practices – up from 9% in late March. These closures are more prevalent in physical therapy and medical specialist practices, while almost all mental health clinics and almost 90% of primary care practices have remained open. Of those practices still open, they report an average 40% decline in patient volumes during the pandemic with the most impact on physical therapy clinics where the average decline is over 65%. Mental health professionals have experienced the smallest patient volume declines at just under 20%.

No consensus has emerged among independent medical practices on the timeline for a return to more typical patient volumes. Roughly 33% expect volumes to recover in May, while another 30% expect volumes to recover by the end of June. Considerable uncertainty still exists, however, with 37% not expecting a recovery until some time after June. When patients do re-engage with their medical caregivers, 47% of medical practices expect a surge in patient volume due to delayed care during the first few months of the pandemic. Mental health professionals expect the most material surge in volumes, likely due to increased care needs created by the pandemic itself.

Uncertainty around the path forward and patient volume recovery timing reflects material open questions around the availability of wide-scale testing, whether the virus will ebb during the summer months only to return in the fall, the availability and efficacy of COVID-19 treatments, and when or if a vaccine will be deployed. Even with the unique insights available to healthcare professionals, these factors mean that what comes next remains a guessing game for independent medical practices. In the meantime, many are applying new technology and offering new services in an attempt to ensure continued access by their patients to medical care and support. The most notable example is telemedicine.

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