Changes in patient visits and diagnoses in a large academic center during the COVID-19 pandemic.

ABSTRACT:

Background

To minimize the risk of viral transmission, ophthalmology practices limited face-to-face encounters to only patients with urgent and emergent ophthalmic conditions in the weeks after the start of the COVID-19 epidemic in the United States. The impact of this is unknown.

Methods

We did a retrospective analysis of the change in the frequency of ICD-10 code use and patient volumes in the 6 weeks before and after the changes in clinical practice associated with COVID-19.

Results

The total number of encounters decreased four-fold after the implementation of clinic changes associated with COVID-19. The low vision, pediatric ophthalmology, general ophthalmology, and cornea divisions had the largest total decrease of in-person visits. Conversely, the number of tele

SUBMITTER: Berkenstock MK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7980730 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature