Primary Care Practices Still Trying To Rebound From Pandemic Financial Losses

Primary care has been under stress for years. It’s a medical field with high demands and relatively low incomes, at least among doctors.

When COVID-19 arrived, those practices took a huge hit. Despite measures to make up for lost revenue, many are still struggling.

On a recent morning, Amy Jewitt of Hadley, Massachusetts, brought her two-month-old baby Summer for a physical with physician assistant Sarah Vacca.

“Let me see you on your belly,” Vacca said to the baby, setting her on the exam table, over a few light gurgles. “Any diaper rashes?” she asked Jewitt.

This is one of the only times Jewitt has come into the office since the pandemic began. Most of her appointments have been on video.

“Just being in a space where a lot of sick people come is worrying,” Jewitt said, “especially with such a little one.”

For the past year and a half, many patients have been avoiding the doctor’s office — in varying waves.

“It was terrifying. I really thought I was going to lose my practice,” said Dr. Kate Atkinson, who runs primary care offices in Northampton and Amherst.

Early in the pandemic, when patient visits dropped off dramatically, Atkinson’s income dried up. So she laid off some staff, starting with those who wanted to reduce hours, and quickly ramped up televisits.

In March 2020, Governor Charlie Baker ordered insurers to reimburse telehealth at the same rate as office visits and to waive those copays, “which for Massachusetts was a godsend,” said Atkinson. “I mean, it really saved us. People actually wanted to keep their appointments.”

Atkinson said she got a $520,000 business loan — since forgiven — from COVID relief legislation. That helped for about a year.

“The problem for us financially has really just been recent,” she said.

Click here for the full story from New England Public Media.