Study Shows Alarming Trends in Outpatient Healthcare

The economic downturn is having a measurable negative effect on ambulatory healthcare, which is generally seen as more cost-effective than hospital-based care and a more likely option for consumers who are also using fewer hospital services. The study of ambulatory healthcare organizations released today reported that 60 percent of the nearly 1,000 respondents were experiencing a decrease in demand for services over the past 12 months, with 11 percent of these reporting a decrease of 20 percent or greater. A total of 76 percent reported a negative impact on patients’ ability to pay co-pays or deductibles.

The survey, which was completed by 985 organizations*, was conducted by the AAAHC Institute for Quality Improvement (AAAHC Institute), a not-for-profit subsidiary of the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC).

According to the most recent data available, ambulatory care in the U.S. accounts for four physician office visits per person per year and 35 million surgeries/procedures.

“The medical specialties seeing the greatest decreases included not only those providing non-essential or elective services, such as cosmetic surgery, but also those that offer basic services such as pediatrics, obstetrics/gynecology, urology, general or oral surgery, ENT, pain medicine, gastroenterology and orthopedics,” said Naomi Kuznets, PhD, managing director of the AAAHC Institute.

The greatest decreases in demand were reported for high-cost procedures (reported by 35 percent), services that were self-paid by the patient (51 percent), and elective procedures (57 percent). A higher proportion of organizations reporting decreases were located in the Midwest, Southeast and Southwest.

Other findings include: