The impact of the COVID-19 associated shutdown on orthopedic patient care

Background Due to the surge of COVID-19 cases in the US in early March 2020, health care facilities temporarily suspended elective and non-urgent medical procedures such as joint replacement surgeries. The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of the COVID-19 associated shutdown on orthopedic patient care at a specialized orthopedic hospital located at the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Patient volume of outpatient visits and joint replacement surgeries were analyzed and compared for 2019 and 2020. The volumes were further aligned with the timeline of governmental and institutional COVID-19 associated restrictions. Results The annual surgery volume was reduced by 20.2% in 2020 and did not make up for the reduction experienced during the shutdown. The total number of patient visits decreased by 25.5% and new patient visits remained 25% lower at the end of 2020. Patient care and surgery volume recovered with declining SARS-CoV-2-cases but did not return to levels prior to the shutdown. During the second quarter of 2020, 28.5% of all patient visits were telehealth appointments. By the end of the year it dropped to 7.6%. There was a shift towards patient appointments at outpatient satellite offices. Conclusion Orthopedic providers faced a substantial disruption in outpatient and surgical volume. Telemedicine appointments were crucial for maintaining follow-up patient care and will be an important sector in future patient care. There has been a major push to utilize satellite offices outside the city center.