News: Hospital volumes remain below 2019 levels as care shifts to outpatient, report finds

As the shift to outpatient settings has accelerated, likely due to COVID-19, patient volumes continue to remain below pre-pandemic levels for hospitals and health systems this year, according to a new Kaufman Hall report. The study outlines the barriers that hospitals and health systems face in a year that has been rough financially, with key obstacles such as patient volumes and workforce shortages, Fierce Healthcare reported.

The report surveyed 86 hospital and health system leaders across the nation to discuss performance improvement and cost containment efforts at their facilities. Of the different service lines, oncology was the only one that showed significant improvement over last year’s survey. Most specialties such as orthopedics, cardiology, and neurosurgery continue to struggle to return to 2019 levels, and emergency department and pediatric volumes remain unchanged from 2021.

“Healthcare leaders must navigate short-term challenges that continue to pressure revenue and expenses, while also adapting organizational strategy to match larger transformations in the way care is delivered,” said Kaufman Hall Managing Director Lance Robinson in an accompanying statement.

In response to the crisis, hospitals and health systems have tried various strategies, the most popular being to simply raise wages, according to 98% of respondents. Otherwise, 84% used signing bonuses to help get new staff. Other strategies include introducing more flexible work schedules and higher overtime and looking into automation and artificial intelligence.

Editor’s note: To read Fierce Healthcare’s coverage of this story, click here. To read the Kaufman Hall report, click here.