Hospital visit volumes continued to slowly recover at the end of
June with emergency department visits down only 25% compared to
pre-COVID-19 volumes. The latest findings from TransUnion
Healthcare (NYSE: TRU) also indicated patients with high-acuity
medical issues (i.e. chest pain) are returning to emergency
departments at a faster pace than those with low-acuity concerns
(i.e. cough and ear pain), which are likely being treated in
alternate settings.
This potential change in medical treatment settings could point
to healthcare cost reductions for providers, patients and payers as
emergency department care is typically more expensive than what is
offered at a medical clinic or via telehealth options. As
potential shifts take place in healthcare settings, a new book
titled, “Healthcare Evolution: Helping Providers Get Paid in an Era
of Uncertainty,” and authored by Jonathan Wiik, principal of
healthcare strategy at TransUnion Healthcare, was officially
released today. The book addresses healthcare affordability
problems – including the cost challenges of emergency department
overutilization – and what strategies can be implemented to
alleviate payment pressures.
The updated analysis of 500+ hospitals across the United States
observed patient volumes between March 1-7 and June 21-27. When
looking at specific treatment settings, TransUnion Healthcare’s
analysis found outpatient visit volumes are down 7% during the week
of June 21-27, recovering 88% of volume lost in the time since
April 5-11 (when visit volumes reached their lows). During this
same time period, emergency department visits recovered 51% and are
down 25%; inpatient volumes show a 75% return while down 8%
compared to pre-COVID-19 volumes.*
“TransUnion Healthcare is closely monitoring healthcare
utilization – particularly as specific regions see a resurgence in
COVID-19 cases and possible subsequent deferrals of elective
procedures,” said David Wojczynski, President of TransUnion
Healthcare. “We want to equip providers with insights that can help
them best mitigate financial challenges and maximize care delivery
amidst this uncertainty. Jonathan’s latest book addresses many of
these challenges while offering strategies that can be applied by
healthcare providers to alleviate payment burdens on patients and
also build trust with them.”
TransUnion Healthcare’s analysis also found key differences when
comparing adult and children visit volumes across treatment
settings between March 1-7 and June 21-27:
- Emergency Department: Within the emergency
department setting, adult visit volumes are returning more quickly
than children visit volumes – only down 16% during the week of June
21-27. Comparatively, visit volumes for children remain
significantly below pre-COVID-19 volumes and are down 59% in the
same time period.
- Outpatient: Adult patients lead the path to
recovery for outpatient visit volumes as well. During the week of
June 21-27, adult visit volumes are down 5% whereas children visit
volumes were down 34%.
- Inpatient: For inpatient treatment settings
during the week of June 21-27, the latest analysis found adult
visit volumes are recovering slightly slower than children volumes,
with adults down 9% and children down 6% compared to pre-COVID-19
volumes.
“It’s clear that many adults are beginning to return for
regularly scheduled appointments, though we suspect many are
electing to hold off bringing their children back to these
healthcare settings. Interestingly, due to the complexity and
challenges with price transparency within our current healthcare
system, patients aren’t necessarily aware of the differing cost
consequences when considering where to obtain care,” said Wiik.
“However, our latest analysis reveals patients with low-acuity
diagnoses have avoided emergency department settings amidst
COVID-19. If this trend continues, it presents an opportunity for
providers to engage patients early to help non–emergent patient
populations navigate the most efficient and effective care setting.
This has the potential to reduce healthcare costs for all
stakeholders.”
When looking at patient admitting diagnoses within emergency
department settings between March 1-7 and June 14-20, TransUnion
Healthcare’s research found adult visit volumes for less acute
diagnoses have returned at a slower pace than more acute diagnoses.
In fact, visit volumes for coughs and ear pain – typically
considered low-acuity diagnoses – remain down 82% and 40%,
respectively. Higher-acuity diagnoses such as throat/chest pain
have seen a greater return in volumes, down 24% compared to
pre-COVID-19 volumes.
Broader challenges with healthcare delivery and
affordability
Should this trend extend beyond COVID-19, the impacts of this
shift could positively affect the healthcare system overall.
Overutilization of the emergency department has been a consistent
issue for the U.S. healthcare system, creating care delivery and
affordability challenges for all stakeholders, representing almost
$382 billion annually in wasted spend per a report from
UnitedHealth Group.
Wiik’s book highlights how this challenge is further complicated
by the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), which
requires anyone presenting at an emergency department to be
stabilized regardless of their ability to pay or health insurance
coverage. An unintended consequence is that many patients receive
treatment at one of the most expensive sites of care in the
healthcare system, often without a choice to go somewhere else
after they arrived, even in cases where their illness may not
require it.
“Healthcare costs remain high, and the industry has yet to agree
upon a holistic, long-term strategy to curb them,” said Wiik. “The
book offers effective strategies to all stakeholders, particularly
healthcare providers who want to protect their earned revenue and
empower frictionless, positive patient experiences.”
The book also explores how patients, providers and payers can
alleviate payment friction they all face and how each stakeholder
can be more effective in aligning their payment strategies for
positive financial outcomes. For providers specifically,
several industry best-in-class processes and tools are shared that
address common pitfalls in patient financial clearance,
underpayments and denials, consumerism and transparency.
Wiik is presenting a webinar as part of the Healthcare Financial
Management Association (HFMA) Virtual Annual Conference on July 15
at 2:45 pm CT titled “Healthcare Evolution: Revenue Protection in
an Era of Uncertainty.” Healthcare professionals that are
interested in learning more can register for the webinar here.
Following the presentation, the webinar will be available here.
Please visit www.transunion.com/jonathan-wiik or Amazon.com to
order your copy of “Healthcare Evolution: Helping Providers Get
Paid in an Era of Uncertainty.”
*TransUnion Healthcare defines pre-COVID-19 volumes as the
average weekly visits measured during the first 8 full weeks of the
year, from the weeks of January 5-11 through February 23-29.
About TransUnion (NYSE: TRU)
TransUnion is a global information and insights company that
makes trust possible in the modern economy. We do this by providing
a comprehensive picture of each person so they can be reliably and
safely represented in the marketplace. As a result, businesses and
consumers can transact with confidence and achieve great things. We
call this Information for Good.®
TransUnion Healthcare, a wholly owned subsidiary of TransUnion,
makes mutual trust possible between patients, providers, and payers
by helping them navigate payment uncertainty. Our Revenue
Protection® solutions leverage comprehensive data, accurate
insights and industry expertise to engage patients early, ensure
earned revenue gets paid and optimize payment strategies.
TransUnion Healthcare helps over 1,850 hospitals and 550,000
physicians collectively recover more than $1.2 billion annually in
revenue.
A leading presence in more than 30 countries across five
continents, TransUnion provides solutions that help create economic
opportunity, great experiences and personal empowerment for
hundreds of millions of people.
http://www.transunionhealthcare.com
Contact |
Dave
Blumberg |
|
TransUnion |
|
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E-mail |
david.blumberg@transunion.com |
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Telephone |
312-972-6646 |
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