Patient Care during Recovery from COIVD

As COVID triggered sharp spikes in demand for care in hospital ICUs, it also suspended routine primary care visits, preventative screenings and diagnostic testing. These are the principal methods used to detect many forms of cancer. Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School found that combined rates for mammography and PSA screening declined by 57% in March, 96% in April and 95% in May 2020 compared with the prior year.

Additionally, patients that were progressing through treatment for cancer when COVID emerged had their treatment plans disturbed or interrupted due to stay home orders and the need to reduce immunocompromised patients’ risk of exposure to COVID. Early diagnosis followed up by a tailored treatment plan can radically alter the survivability of cancer. COVID-induced delays in diagnosis and treatment may have an effect on long-term patient outcomes.

Screenings, diagnostics and treatment plans cannot be indefinitely delayed. As the ‘new normal’ sets in, these procedures are getting scheduled or rescheduled. Physicians and patients need unencumbered access to therapies to treat medical conditions for which care is overdue. Medicare’s International Pricing Index (IPI) proposal would force physicians to order their patients’ Medicare Part B therapies from an outside vendor. Delays to care caused by middlemen and bureaucratic hurdles interfere with the personalized plans of care that physicians are crafting to guide their patients through this complicated time. Join Patients and Providers United as it amplifies the voices of patients, providers and caregivers to tell policymakers Don’t Complicate My Care; Don’t Try IPI!