How the pandemic changed health care, one year later

“You can imagine that, in theory, if people delay or forego needed medical care and their conditions worsen, that could mean that not only are we having to pay for all of this missed care but it may become more expensive to make up for that,” she said.

It may be important to launch a messaging campaign urging people to get regular health screenings, such as for cancers, that they may not have received last year.

Ada Stewart, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians and a physician at a community health center in Columbia, S.C., said her practice called patients to explain the safety precautions the office adopted to make patients more comfortable coming in.

While telehealth has helped doctors there stay in touch with patients throughout the pandemic and made it possible to address mental health problems, some screenings or blood work require an in-person visit.

Patients with chronic diseases are facing complications that could affect their health for years. Patients with diabetes or hypertension could be more likely to develop heart disease later. Delayed colonoscopies and other screenings may mean doctors aren’t catching cancers as early as they would have.