Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 13, 2025
Multidisciplinary Approach to Obesity Management: A Case Report
Published on: May 30, 2025
Beyond the pandemic: rising administrative demands and changing disease profiles in primary care
Avivit Golan Cohen1,2, Shlomo Vinker3,4, Eugene Merzon4,5
1Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, 6910127, Tel Aviv, Israel. agolanchoen@leumit.co.il.
Insights
The COVID-19 pandemic shifted primary care visits, increasing administrative tasks and metabolic condition consultations while decreasing infectious disease and cardiovascular follow-ups. These changes continue to impact physician workload post-pandemic.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare Management
- Public Health
- Primary Care Medicine
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic significantly altered healthcare delivery and patient visit patterns.
- Understanding these shifts is crucial for managing primary care physician (PCP) workload and patient care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the impact of changes in primary care visit reasons on PCP workload between 2019 and 2023.
- To analyze trends in non-COVID-related disease consultations and administrative tasks.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study utilizing electronic medical records from Leumit Health Services (2019-2023).
- Inclusion of approximately 510,000 patients with at least one PCP consultation.
- Categorization of visits using ICD-9 codes to calculate visit frequency and accumulated annual duration of time (AADT).
Main Results:
- A 38.9% increase in administrative visits by 2023 compared to 2019, consuming 21.8% of AADT.
- Consistent rise in visits for hyperlipidemia, obesity, and diabetes.
- Marked decline in AADT for respiratory tract infections and sexually transmitted diseases, with notable decreases in other infectious diseases, injuries, heart, and pulmonary diseases.
Conclusions:
- COVID-19 reshaped primary care visit reasons, increasing administrative burden and metabolic condition visits while reducing cardiovascular risk factor follow-ups.
- These persistent trends necessitate policy evaluation for optimizing PCP time and demand management.
- The study highlights the enduring impact of the pandemic on primary care dynamics.
Background:
The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed healthcare, affecting the diagnosis and management of common diseases. Our study aimed to assess the effect of the changes in reasons for primary care visits on primary care physicians' (PCPs') workload from 2019 to 2023, focusing on non-COVID-related diseases.
Methods:
A cross-sectional study of electronic medical records conducted at Leumit Health Services between 2019 and 2023, approximately 510,000 patients who had at least one consultation with a PCP were included. The study categorized visits using ICD-9 codes and calculated the number of visits and the accumulated annual duration of time (AADT) for each code group.
Results:
In 2023, there was a significant 38.9% increase in administrative visits compared to 2019, with these visits accounting for 21.8% of AADT. Additionally, a consistent rise in visits for hyperlipidemia, obesity, and diabetes was noted. Conversely, the AADT for respiratory tract infections and sexually transmitted diseases markedly declined. A lesser, yet still notable, decrease was observed in other infectious diseases, injuries, heart diseases, and pulmonary diseases.
Conclusions:
COVID-19 altered the distribution of primary care visit reasons and subsequently impacted the burden on PCPs. Notably, there was an increase in visits for bureaucratic issues and a concerning reduction in follow-ups for cardiovascular risk factors, alongside a rise in metabolic conditions. These trends persisted even after the pandemic waned, despite the removal of social restrictions. Policymakers should evaluate how to optimize the utilization of PCPs' time and explore methods to regulate demand for improved efficiency.
Related Concept Videos
01:29Issues And Trends In Healthcare Delivery System
Cost Containment
Payment for healthcare services has historically promoted adoption of costly and often unnecessary or inefficient...
01:28Current Trends in Nursing I
01:30Current Trends in Nursing II
01:18Introduction To Health Care Delivery System
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) advocates for a patient-centered, effective, safe, timely, equitable, and effective healthcare system. The National Priorities...
01:30Primary Healthcare Services
In 1978, international leaders convened in Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan, for what would be a pivotal event in global health. The Alma-Ata Declaration was the first to call...
01:15Methods of Documentation VI: Case Management Model
For example, a patient with a chronic...