Seniors Have Been Especially Fearful of ED Visits During the Pandemic. Promote Your Practice Accordingly

There’s been much discussion, including public service announcements from the Surgeon General of the United States, of the need to maintain visits for ongoing and acute healthcare concerns in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic. As urgent care operators know, however, patients have stayed away in droves (especially in the early days of the crisis). What may come as news is the fact that patients 65 years of age and over have been most hesitant, especially when it comes to considering a trip to the emergency room. A study by the Healthcare Council of Western Pennsylvania revealed that 98% of that group’s member institutions (60 hospitals) had fewer ED visits than they did in the previous 12 months ending June 30, 2020. The drop was especially sharp among senior citizens, who have been perceived as especially vulnerable to serious illness related to COVID-19. Clearly the downward trend is bad news for hospital revenues, but consider that those patients are also lacking necessary care. Help them, and yourself, by promoting your services vigorously to that demographic. Establish relationships with primary care practices who specialize in elder care, as well as senior living facilities and adult community centers.