Cancer screenings and other preventive care declined in Massachusetts during the first year of the COVID pandemic, raising concerns that cancers and other conditions may be going undetected until they’re more advanced and harder to treat.
Massachusetts Health Quality Partners analyzed data for hundreds of thousands of people in the state covered by five commercial health plans. The data do not reflect low-income residents with Medicaid coverage or seniors on Medicare, but they provide a comprehensive look at the impact of the early part of the pandemic on preventive care.
The drop-off in preventive care began at the start of the pandemic when clinics and hospitals halted most non-urgent medical care, so they could respond to COVID. But when regular medical visits resumed, many patients were reluctant to come back because of fears about COVID. Doctors say they’re concerned that some patients are only now returning to appointments — after more than two years of the pandemic.
“We probably will take the rest of this year, if COVID permits, to catch up on that backlog,” she said. “But it’s hard to predict.”
Source: Healthcare Press (healthcarepress.net)