https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/the-fight-against-covid-19-threatens-to-cause-collateral-health-damage/

The need for chronic disease management and prevention does not disappear during a pandemic. As I am a gastroenterologist and colon cancer researcher, the irony of cancelling procedures meant to detect colorectal cancer at an early stage during Colon Cancer Awareness Month was not lost on me. Infusion centers where patients receive treatment for rheumatoid arthritis; radiology centers that perform mammograms to detect breast cancer; and offices that perform cardiac echocardiograms to diagnose heart diseases are closing. A federal waiver though Medicare that covers telehealth visits now allows patients with chronic conditions to receive medical care without traveling to a clinic. But this does not address the need for outpatient surgeries and procedures that often accompany medical management.

Closure of outpatient facilities will lead to more emergency room visits as growing numbers of patients with unchecked symptoms require urgent care. Outpatient clinics triage patients into high and low risk of poor medical outcomes and decrease emergency room traffic by helping low-risk patients manage their symptoms at home. But without this triage and management, these patients are more likely to show up to emergency departments critically ill and medically unstable. Together, this will defeat the purpose of the CMS recommendation, which is meant to decrease hospital volumes, preserve protective patient equipment and conserve the medical workforce to treat those diagnosed with COVID-19.