The impact of the COVID-19 associated shutdown on orthopedic patient care

BACKGROUND: Due to the surge of COVID-19 cases in the US in early March 2020, health care facilities temporarily suspended elective and non-urgent medical procedures such as joint replacement surgeries. The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of the COVID-19 associated shutdown on orthopedic patient care at a specialized orthopedic hospital located at the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Patient volume of outpatient visits and joint replacement surgeries were analyzed and compared for 2019 and 2020. The volumes were further aligned with the timeline of governmental and institutional COVID-19 associated restrictions. RESULTS: The annual surgery volume was reduced by 20.2% in 2020 and did not make up for the reduction experienced during the shutdown. The total number of patient visits decreased by 25.5% and new patient visits remained 25% lower at the end of 2020. Patient care and surgery volume recovered with declining SARS-CoV-2-cases but did not return to levels prior to the shutdown. During the second quarter of 2020, 28.5% of all patient visits were telehealth appointments. By the end of the year it dropped to 7.6%. There was a shift towards patient appointments at outpatient satellite offices. CONCLUSION: Orthopedic providers faced a substantial disruption in outpatient and surgical volume. Telemedicine appointments were crucial for maintaining follow-up patient care and will be an important sector in future patient care. There has been a major push to utilize satellite offices outside the city center.