AAP Voices

My 20-year office is a well-established private practice in the city of Rancho Mirage, Calif., with 2,000 active patients and an average volume of 30 to 40 patients per day. It employs six staff members full-time. However, since March 16, we are seeing an average of six patients per day, which includes office and telemedicine visits.

Needless to say, that steep decline in patient volume has led to a sharp drop in cash flow and total revenue that can barely keep up with my overhead expenses, resulting in a drastic reduction by half of both office hours as well as staff hours. 

A lot of the families in my practice are unemployed and losing benefits. We’re offering prorated services and doing telemeds at no charge while they find insurance.   

I’m still open for Medi-Cal services. But if we do not survive, it will limit even more the access these patients have to primary care. It’s important for practices like mine to survive.  

So far, I have not laid off any staff members. But after six long weeks, the current reduction in revenue is no longer sustainable. Without urgent financial assistance from the government, my office runs a very high risk of closing its doors permanently, thus depriving 2,000 pediatric patients and their families of their primary care pediatric provider. 

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