COVID-19 Did Not Stop the Rising Tide: Trends in Case Volume Logged by Surgical Residents

Beaulieu‐Jones, Brendin R.; Geus, Susanna W.L. de; Rasic, Gordana; Woods, Amanda; Papageorge, Marianna V.; Sachs, Teviah E.

doi:10.1016/j.jsurg.2022.11.005

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 69 publications

(84 reference statements)

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“…All tracked index categories did not statistically differ between the pre‐COVID cohort and the COVID‐affected cohorts of urology and OBGYN FPMRS fellows. This is similar to stable case volumes noted in trainee case logs including urology residents, Society of Urologic Oncology fellows, and general surgery residents 10–12 . However, for some surgical specialties, there were significant decreases in volume including ophthalmology and otolaryngology 13,14 .…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 64%

“…This is similar to stable case volumes noted in trainee case logs including urology residents, Society of Urologic Oncology fellows, and general surgery residents. [10][11][12] However, for some surgical specialties, there were significant decreases in volume including ophthalmology and otolaryngology. 13,14 This may reflect differences in the proportion of elective cases as well as the relative risk of COVID-19 transmission during the procedures.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery fellows' case logs remained stable during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Daily,

Popat,

Koenig

et al. 2023

Neurourology and Urodynamics

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IntroductionDuring the COVID‐19 pandemic and subsequent staffing shortages there was concern about the case volume, and thus competency, of graduating trainees due to reduced surgical volumes. Elective procedures were particularly affected, which includes Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery (FPMRS) cases. To understand whether FPMRS fellows were affected, we assessed their case logs for changes during the pandemic.MethodsThe nationally aggregated case logs of graduating FPMRS fellows, both urology and obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN), were obtained from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. The available academic years (AYs) included 2018−2019, 2019−2020, and 2020−2021. Standard deviation for each index category was derived from the average and 90th percentile data. One‐way analysis of variance was used to compare differences in case volumes for tracked index categories between AYs.ResultsGraduating fellows logged an average of 517.4 (standard deviation [SD] 28.6) and 818.0 (SD 37.9) cases, for urology and OBGYN respectively, over their fellowship training during the examined period. No significant differences in total surgical procedures were found for either specialty between pre‐COVID AY 2018−2019 and COVID‐affected AYs 2019−2020 and 2020‐2021. For urology fellows, gastrointestinal (GI) procedures was the only index case category with a significant difference, and it was a decrease between the two COVID‐affected AYs: 2020‐2021 compared to 2019−2020 (8.9 vs. 4.2, p = 0.04). For both urology and OBGYN fellows, there was a statistically significant decrease in graft/mesh augmentation procedures from COVID‐affected AY 2019−2020 to AY 2020−2021. This may be attributed to the reclassification of mesh removal cases from graft/mesh augmentation procedures to genital procedures in 2020−2021. There was not a significant decrease in these procedures from pre‐COVID AY 2018‐2019 to the COVID‐affected AYs. There were no other statistically significant differences between AYs for OBGYN fellows.ConclusionsSurgical case volumes for FPMRS urology and OBGYN fellows who trained during the COVID‐19 pandemic were comparable to those of their pre‐pandemic peers. No significant differences between pre‐COVID and COVID‐affected years were found for either total surgical procedures or index case categories. Despite disruptions in health care nationwide, FPMRS trainee case volumes were largely unaffected.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 64%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery fellows' case logs remained stable during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Daily,

Popat,

Koenig

et al. 2023

Neurourology and Urodynamics

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“…36,37 In fact, operative volume for plastic surgery residents remained higher than for orthopedic, neurosurgery, and general surgery, especially in the 2 years after March 2020. 38 This evidence, along with what our data present, shows that institutions performing plastic surgery with and without residency programs have experienced a wave in plastic surgery procedures leading researchers to target the potential factors that may be driving this growth.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 59%

“…These findings were reflected in the procedure logs among plastic surgery residents, which demonstrate that despite the halt on surgeries, the pandemic did not impact the average resident case numbers, which continued on an upward trajectory, unlike what was observed for other specialties 36,37 . In fact, operative volume for plastic surgery residents remained higher than for orthopedic, neurosurgery, and general surgery, especially in the 2 years after March 2020 38 . This evidence, along with what our data present, shows that institutions performing plastic surgery with and without residency programs have experienced a wave in plastic surgery procedures leading researchers to target the potential factors that may be driving this growth.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Shifts in Reduction Mammaplasty Surgical Volumes With the Emergence of a Global Pandemic

Shah,

Navarro,

Thawanyarat

et al. 2024

Ann Plast Surg

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Introduction The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in significant changes to the surgical caseload for various surgery departments across the United States. As medical institutions prioritized resources for the expected increase in patient volumes due to the SARS-CoV-2 viral infection, surgical departments saw a decrease in nonemergent and elective surgical procedures. Reduction mammoplasties, which are largely covered by insurance, are among the elective procedures that provide significant revenue to the hospital. This expected decline in procedures suggests a potential decline in revenue provided by the plastic surgery department of a hospital. The purpose of this study was to analyze the loss of revenue experienced by a single academic medical institution due to changes in breast reduction mammoplasty volumes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Upon institutional review board approval, using the Augusta University Medical Center's Financial Billing Data, 373 patients who underwent bilateral reduction mammoplasty were queried. A time horizon of March 2019 to February 2022 was used to determine the pre- and post-COVID case load and charges that were incurred. Statistical analysis to compare the prior 12 months and after 24 months of COVID was conducted using 2 samples of equal variance t test and F test confirming equal variance. Results There was a statistically significant increase in the number of reduction mammoplasties performed per month from the year before the onset of COVID-19 (March 2020) to the 2 years after (6.6–11.4 per month, P = 0.0024). There was a statistically significant increase in the per-month charges from the AU Health system for reduction mammoplasties for the same period ($31,780.92–$52,113.34 per month, P = 0.0054). Although there was an increase in per-month revenue from reduction mammoplasties, this increase failed to reach statistical significance ($7,059.95–$10,423.51 per month, P = 0.064). Conclusions The plastic surgery department saw a statistically significant increase in reduction mammoplasty cases and subsequent charges in the post-COVID cohort. These findings suggest that the emergence of a nationwide pandemic did not necessarily lead to a decrease in the volume of nonemergent surgical cases despite an expected decrease in caseload due to the need to reallocate hospital resources. On the contrary, there was an increase in caseload suggesting that there may be other factors contributing to patients' pursuance of reduction mammoplasty post-COVID including convenience, resulting from time off due to pandemic, meeting insurance-covered reduction criteria, and projected recovery time.

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“…The rapid onset of the novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak created a global challenge to worldwide operations, logistics, and finances. Hospital patient volumes decreased during the beginning stages of the pandemic in multiple medical disciplines, including radiology, emergency, and surgery departments [1][2][3][4]. Decreases in volumes were also seen in individual practices, such as those in dermatology and rheumatology [5,6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Global Review of the Impacts of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic on Radiology Practice, Finances, and Operations

Patel

Rashid

Spear

et al. 2023

Life

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The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic ushered in rapid changes in healthcare, including radiology, globally. This review discusses the impact of the pandemic on various radiology departments globally. We analyze the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on the imaging volumes, finances, and clinical operations of radiology departments in 2020. Studies from health systems and outpatient imaging centers were analyzed, and the activity throughout 2020 was compared to the pre-pandemic activity, including activity during similar timeframes in 2019. Imaging volumes across modalities, including MRI and CT scans, were compared, as were the Relative Value Units (RVUs) for imaging finances. Furthermore, we compared clinical operations, including staffing and sanitation procedures. We found that imaging volumes in private practices and academic centers decreased globally. The decreases in volume could be attributed to delayed patient screenings, as well as the implementation of protocols, such as the deep cleaning of equipment between patients. Revenues from imaging also decreased globally, with many institutions noting a substantial decline in RVUs and revenue compared with pre-COVID-19 levels. Our analysis thus found significant changes in the volumes, finances, and operations of radiology departments due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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COVID-19 Did Not Stop the Rising Tide: Trends in Case Volume Logged by Surgical Residents

Cited by 6 publications

References 69 publications

Female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery fellows' case logs remained stable during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery fellows' case logs remained stable during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Shifts in Reduction Mammaplasty Surgical Volumes With the Emergence of a Global Pandemic

A Global Review of the Impacts of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic on Radiology Practice, Finances, and Operations

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