Corona report: The health system withstood the coronavirus pandemic overall

Rarely have health and healthcare facilities been more in the public eye than during the coronavirus pandemic. Developments in health events were influenced not only by the virus, but also strongly by official measures and their impact. The new Helsana Report highlights how the pandemic affected emergency medicine, chronic diseases, mental health and elective treatments in 2020.

The key findings are as follows:

• Basic insurance costs remained stable overall in 2020 despite the pandemic, due both to the treatment ban and the fact that demand from patients fell as a result of risk considerations.
• Telephone and video consultations played an important role in many areas of the health system during the first lockdown.
• In 2020, significantly fewer heart attack diagnosis and cardiac emergencies were treated in hospitals than in the previous year.
• The first lockdown saw a sharp increase in outpatient crisis intervention provided by psychiatrists, with children, adolescents and people of retirement age seeking psychiatric help more often.
• Although elective treatments, such as knee and hip replacements and cancer screening, fell significantly during the first wave, most of these interventions and examinations were made up during the subsequent months.
• Overall, fewer basic vaccinations and measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccinations were administered in 2020.

The Corona-Report provides facts and input for more effective management of care in both normal and extraordinary situations.