# Impact of COVID-19 on Surgical Procedural Utilization

## TL;DR

The study shows that elective surgeries dropped more than non-elective surgeries during each wave of the pandemic, but both types recovered over time.

## Contribution

The study reveals that elective procedures declined more sharply than non-elective ones during each pandemic wave, with faster recovery rates.

## Key findings

- Elective procedure volumes dropped significantly more than non-elective ones during the first pandemic wave.
- Both elective and non-elective procedures showed less cancellation in later pandemic waves.
- The pandemic's impact on surgical procedures was cyclical, with specialties adapting over time.

## Abstract

Background

This study examines the impact of COVID-19 infection waves on the healthcare utilization of elective procedures versus non-elective procedures.

Methods

Eligible encounters were classified into simple/elective (elective) and cancer/complex (non-elective) groups based on the ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes. Procedure-specific volumes were used to evaluate healthcare utilization.

Results

Compared with the non-elective cohort, the elective cohort showed a greater dip (93% and 58% of the baseline volumes in March and April 2020 vs. 70% and 18% respectively, p-value = 0.0001). Similar patterns were identified for each successive wave of the pandemic.

Conclusions

During each of the first four waves of the pandemic, elective procedure volumes both fell and recovered at higher relative rates when compared with non-elective procedure volumes. Throughout the pandemic, there was a trend toward less cancelation of both elective and non-elective procedures with each successive wave. Our findings characterize the pandemic as a cyclic disease that surgical specialties are learning to cope with over time.