Long term trends at a comprehensive cancer center during the COVID‐19
pandemic.
Abstract
Background: As the ongoing public health crisis from
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic puts strains on current
models of cancer care, many health care centers had to adapt to minimize
the risk of exposure and infection. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic
in a comprehensive cancer center were determined. Purpose: To
measure the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on care delivery at a
comprehensive cancer center. Methods: The number of on-site and
telehealth visits (TH) were obtained from scheduling software. Multiple
factors including total visits, telehealth visits, screenings for cancer
diagnosis, and cancer treatments were tracked from two years before the
pandemic onset through 2022. The length of stay (LOS) and Case Mix Index
(CMI) were calculated using hospital database. Results: In the
third quarter of FY 2020, telehealth visits (TH) represented a fifth of
total patient encounters. Cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy,
radiation therapy, and surgery, decreased during the pandemic with
number of surgeries being most affected (23% decrease in 2020 compared
to the previous fiscal year). The average length of stay (LOS) was also
longer with less discharges per given time during the pandemic. The
increased LOS was related to increased severity of patient illnesses
since CMI was higher. Screening mammograms decreased to a nadir of 58%
in 2021 as compared to those screened in pre-pandemic fiscal years.
Conclusions : The COVID-19 pandemic impacted many
aspects of care, such as treatment and screenings. Many of these factors
had to be postponed due to the fear of acquiring COVID-19 and access to
care. The findings presented implicate that the delays and changes in
cancer care during the pandemic resulted in less screening and treatment
of more advanced disease.