Health Care and Dental Industries Hit Hard by COVID-19 but Rebounding In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, non-emergent healthcare was one of the first services to go. Ironically, while medical workers were on the front lines of battling the virus, overall patient volume decreased dramatically. According to a Crowe RCA Benchmarking analysis, by May 5, hospital revenue nationwide was dropping by an average of $1.4 billion per day. by Heidi Smith In Washington State, both the medical and dental industries have felt that impact. According to Paul Wilkinson, Interim Chief Executive of Providence Southwest Washington Service Area, all Providence ministries and affiliates postponed non-emergent or elective surgeries to conserve personal protective equipment (PPE), ICU beds and ventilators as well as to protect those who are immunocompromised from the risk of exposure. “Like all healthcare systems across the U.S, we’ve faced increased costs and significant decreases in regular revenue,” says Wilkinson. Within the dental industry, volumes remain lower than average, even though nonurgent procedures are now allowed. “There
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was a definite chilling effect on patients, even those seeking urgent care during the early days,” says Washington State Dental Association Executive Director Bracken Killpack. “We had essentially two months where there was no dental care being performed. For general dentists during the shutdown, patient volume was probably five to ten percent of what they would typically do. Now volumes are somewhat closer to what they were pre-COVID, but there is a subset of the population who will not seek care at this time because they’re concerned.”
it became something that needed a crown and potentially a root canal.” The same is true of routine and even emergency medical services. “Patient volumes plummeted,” Wilkinson says. “People were not utilizing the emergency services as they had in the past. We saw patients in emergent situations delaying their care and making their emergent health situations even more serious.”
Fewer patients meant less staff were needed and layoffs followed. Nationwide, dental Unfortunately, not seeking treatment offices lost over half a million jobs in one often compounds issues that may begin as month, while physician offices lost another relatively minor. “I’ve heard several examples quarter of a million. Within Washington of patients who started with something State, dental assistants ranked high among routine and waited,” says Killpack, “and then those seeking unemployment benefits.
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