The New Changes Surrounding Healthcare in a COVID-19 World

In the last year, electoral surgeries were on pause as hospitals filled with COVID-19 patients and resources continued thinning. 

Flash forward to mid-2021, and elective surgeries are back on schedule. For the millions who lost their jobs, however, they lost their medical insurance too. While clinics and medical staff understand that no one wants to see their loved one ill, the inescapable truth is that payment is not only required but essential.  

With the last year and the impacts of the pandemic, the healthcare industry and medical costs have seen many changes and transitions. When considering your medical debt collection needs or debts, be sure to factor in these significant changes.

Fees

There’s a price tag that’s attached to hospital visits and surgeries.

Even before the pandemic, millions were already struggling with medical debt, which means that many hospitals and clinics currently have many unpaid accounts. When clinics have overdue accounts, they hire a medical collection agency to collect their funds. For the clinics to treat patients and successfully operate, medical bills must paid entirely and within a reasonable timeframe. 

Whether you’re going in for surgery or being transported from one hospital to another, patients at different clinics across the country are noticing a new specialty charge. In the last year, Americans who have undergone medical treatment at hospitals would have probably seen or will see an additional fee called the ‘Covid Fee.’ This new fee ranges depending on who and what the charge is for and comes as a new surprise.

Elective Surgeries

The demand for surgeries but lack of payment has cost hospitals revenue and medical jobs in the last year.If you were hoping to get that surgery you put off a year ago immediately, don’t start packing your overnight bag just yet. As hospitals worldwide steadily get a better grip on incoming patients, surgeons can begin booking surgeries again. As the hospitals and clinics begin to rebook, however, there will be quite a backlog to get through.

In countries like Canada, their elective surgeries have recently returned. As medical professionals begin to put these surgeries back on schedule, so does the waiting period.

Burned Out Healthcare Workers

The pandemic took a toll on everyone, but especially on our essential frontline workers. Long, gruelling hours are enough to make anyone quit their profession, and healthcare workers are no exception. According to a Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation poll, 3 in 10 healthcare workers have contemplated hanging up their scrubs for good due to burnout. That doesn’t include the 6 in 10 workers who have endured added stress to their mental health this past year.

Anxiety Surrounding Hospitals

As evidenced in the last year, thousands of people don’t feel safe to enter hospitals. We all grew to know a universal message in the previous year, only go to the hospital if you’re really sick and on the verge of death – or somewhat along those lines. Nowadays, the anxiety surrounding possible contamination as you enter the building has become the new norm. Masks, sanitizing, remaining socially distant will be part of the health and safety measures we’re sure will be implemented in all hospitals for years to come.