Economic Impact of COVID-19 on a High-Volume Academic Neurosurgical Practice

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) is a novel disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) that rapidly spread around the globe. The dramatic increase in the number of cases and deaths have placed tremendous strain on health care systems worldwide. As health care workers and society adjust to focus treatment and prevention of COVID-19, other facets of the health care enterprise are affected, particularly surgical volume and revenue. The purpose of this study was to describe the financial impact of COVID-19 on an academic neurosurgery department. METHODS: A retrospective review of weekly average daily work relative value units (wRVUs) were compared before and after COVID-19 in the fiscal year 2020. A comparative time period of the same months in the year prior was also included for review. We also review strategies for triaging neurosurgical disease as needing emergent, urgent, or routine operative treatment. RESULTS: Daily average wRVU after COVID-19 dropped significantly with losses in all weeks examined. Of the 7 weeks in the current post-COVID period, the weekly daily average wRVU was 173 (range, 128–363). The mean decline was 51.4% compared with the pre-COVID era. Both inpatient and outpatient revenue was affected. CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 had a profound detrimental effect on surgical productivity and revenue generation.