The first wave of the pandemic triggered a secondary health crisis in the form of delayed or avoided care for non-Covid-related health issues. Physicians on the front lines of healthcare are now seeing patients who have delayed preventive care screenings and are further along in some disease states as a result. For example, during the first wave of COVID, mammograms plummeted by 96% and colonoscopies dropped by 82%. The long term effects of these delays are not yet known, but McKinsey predicts that “effects from deferred care will likely create new challenges for individuals and the healthcare system, possibly increasing annual costs in the United States between $30 billion and $65 billion.”
In a new Forbes article, Julian Flannery, Summus Founder & CEO, shares insights into why patients delayed care during the initial wave of the pandemic and its impact on the healthcare ecosystem. He also discusses how virtual specialty care can help employees and their families access the care and the information they need to make important decisions about care.
Read the full story here.
