Driven by major revenue losses due to COVID-19, increasing patient volume was deemed the top priority for physician practices in 2021 and beyond, according to a recent poll conducted by Epion Health. Poll respondents characterized boosting the number of appointments to their practice as “critical” or “most critical,” more than any other priority for 2021. 

Florence Nightingale is considered the founder of modern nursing. As an English social reformer and statistician, she came to prominence while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses during the Crimean War. It was during this battle that she organized care for wounded soldiers at Constantinople. 

In a study of 2,000 adults from around the United States, two-thirds of respondents stated that COVID-19 increased their willingness to try telehealth in the future. This is in comparison to about 25 percent who expressed they hadn’t previously considered it an option. 

Physicians discuss and document their patients’ health throughout their day, but when it comes to communicating about their own mental health, they are often silent. Stoicism in physicians is not necessarily harmful if practiced correctly. However, when feelings of burnout are simply ignored or disregarded, but symptoms persist, it becomes a significant risk to patients, physicians and the healthcare organization itself.

In the United States, a large portion of healthcare spending is incurred by a small percentage of the population. That’s nothing new. Neither is the fact that the U.S. spends more money on healthcare - approximately $3.6 trillion and 18 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) – than any other developed nation. 

This year presented many challenges – simply seeing patients safely and maintaining routine care became a big concern. So, on December 9th, we  partnered with athenahealth for a webinar on growing patient volume in the new year.