COVID-19’s Crushing Effects on Medical Practices, Some of Which Might Not Survive

Physicians in small private practices around the country have reported steep declines in revenues, drops so significant that some of them and their supporters have turned to GoFundMe—the platform best-known for helping patients pay their medical bills—to raise funds to help pay their overhead. Telemedicine has helped pick up only a small portion of the slack.

And in an online survey conducted in early May, the Texas Medical Association found that 68% of practicing physicians in that state had cut their work hours because of COVID-19, while 62% had their salaries reduced. A concerned, long-time patient—with her physician’s blessing—set up a GoFundMe page on April 20 for a Dallas family medicine practice. In a month, it raised $96 766.