Patient volumes

U.S. hospitals report patient volumes returned to 2019 levels across sites of care (outpatient, procedural, inpatient and emergency department).
Regional variation exists, with reported volumes in the West below 2019 levels across inpatient, procedural and emergency care. The Midwest has seen the fastest recovery of volume compared to 2019 (up 3 percent to 9 percent across sites of care).
Outpatient volumes have seen the greatest increase, and respondents expect to be 9 percent above 2019 levels by 2023. Providers report that psychiatry and orthopedics are areas where patient demand is most likely to exceed provider capacity in the next six months. Plastic surgery and ophthalmology saw the greatest decreases in outpatient care in June.
About 20 percent of outpatient visits were shifted to virtual care in 2020, but that declined to about 15 percent in the second quarter of 2021.

Capacity for care and operational responses

About 45 percent of respondents said access to specialty care is worse today than in was in 2019.
More than half of hospitals are expanding hours to increase outpatient access, and 30 percent report increasing physician productivity expectations because of COVID-19.
Providers expect to shift 10 percent of surgical volume to outpatient settings by 2023, which would result in nearly six in 10 procedures being outpatient.

"Other provider responses include hiring more physicians, increasing physician productivity expectations, hiring more clinical support staff, increasing marketing to patients and proactively calling patients who have delayed care," the survey report concluded.

Instant Insights /

Hospital patient volumes rebound to 2019 levels: McKinsey

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