The COVID-19 pandemic represents an unprecedented health crisis that has challenged GI practices in major ways. Rapidly implemented global shutdowns resulted in sudden delays of endoscopic procedures. As the country is moving towards a full reopening, practices are wrestling with the challenge of a complete retooling of their operations with the goal of quickly returning to providing high-quality care to large numbers of patients in a safe and effective manner. At the same time, the longer-term impact of the pandemic on future practice operations needs to be assessed: What will post-pandemic GI care look like? Will some aspects of our work be changed forever and if so, what are these aspects and their implications on GI practice management? This chapter provides an overview of the impact of the pandemic on U.S. based GI practices and will discuss some key "lessons learned" that may affect future operations.
The Future of Endoscopic Operations after the Coronavirus Pandemic