Potential Impact of COVID-19 Temporary Cessation of Elective Procedures

On March 23, 2020, Governor Polis issued an order for temporary cessation of all elective and non-essential procedures. This analysis using claims in the Colorado All Payer Claims Database (CO APCD) supports state departments, payers, providers and others seeking to understand the financial impact that cessation periods may have on cost and utilization. Procedures identified as elective include inpatient and outpatient surgical operations and diagnostic procedures such as gastrointestinal endoscopies.

Considerations

• This analysis includes information for approximately 75% of Coloradans with insurance, but does not include payments from all self-insured employer plans, self-pay patients, or those covered under other Federal insurance plans (Tricare, VA, Indian Health Services, etc.).
• Paid amounts include payments from health insurance payers and patients, and also include Medicaid supplemental payments.
• Data for 2019 does NOT include Medicare fee for service information, and as a result, should not be used to calculate totals across all payers or be compared with 2018 all payer totals.

This is the first of many elective service-related analyses that are possible with data from the CO APCD to help Colorado evaluate the impact of COVID-19. Additional COVID-19 analyses and resources are available including Populations at Risk for Serious Illness. For more information contact us at info@civhc.org.