A study conducted by the AAAHC Institute for Quality Improvement has found that 60 percent of the nearly 1,000 participating ambulatory healthcare facilities indicated a decreased demand for services in the past 12 months, with 11 percent of facilities reporting decreases 20 percent or more, despite the cost-effective benefits of ambulatory procedures, according to an AAAHC news release.

The study found that the decreases in demand for services affected basic service areas in addition to elective services, such as cosmetic surgery. The specialties experiencing the greatest declines in demand include cosmetic and general plastic surgery (reported by 73 percent of facilities with this service line), general surgery (72 percent), oral maxillofacial surgery (72 percent), facial, plastic and reconstructive surgery (71 percent), plastic surgery (71 percent), podiatry (68 percent), anesthesiology (67 percent), ENT (67 percent), pain medicine (67 percent), gastroenterology (66 percent), urology (65 percent), orthopedics (64 percent), OB/GYN (63 percent) and ophthalmology (62 percent).

Facilities also reported that the economic downturn has negatively impacted their ability to make capital purchases (44 percent), purchase supplies (44 percent), hire or retain staff (29 percent), sustain staffing hours (2 percent) and maintain wages (1 percent).

The study found that 76 percent of facilities reported a negative impact on patients’ ability to pay co-pays or deductibles.

Nine percent of facilities reported decreasing their prices in response to the current economy, and 17 percent included pricing in their marketing materials.

Participants cited increases in patients' delaying, canceling or not showing up for surgery, fewer patients, decreased staff morale and hiring freezes as core concerns.

Source: AAAHC's Institute for Quality Improvement Spring 2009: Impact of the Current Economy on Ambulatory Health Care Organizations.

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