How primary care changes in the summer months

Healthcare, like the seasons, can be cyclical in nature. The springtime brings allergies, while the fall and winter bring colds and the flu (and these days, Covid-19).

Since we’re now in the thick of summertime, Healthcare Brew asked primary care doctors how their practices change in the summer months.

Lauren Block, an academic general internist at New York’s largest system, Northwell Health, told Healthcare Brew that the average number of patients she sees doesn’t change much in the summertime—but the reasons her patients come to see her does.

She tends to see fewer instances of certain respiratory viruses, but there’s an uptick in contact-related illnesses—like hand, foot, and mouth disease and norovirus—which can be transmitted in swimming pools or at the beach, she said.

A big concern is sun exposure, and Block tends to see patients with sun poisoning, heat rash, and sunburns. She said she tries to do preventive counseling with her patients about the importance of sunscreen and the effects of sun damage, as well as perform regular skin exams—especially for those with a family history of or predisposition to skin cancer.

William Kornrich, an internal medicine physician at NYU Langone’s primary care practice in Riverhead, Long Island, told Healthcare Brew he does tend to see a spike in patient volume in the summer months, since Long Island is a summer destination. Like Block, he also sees a lot of sun-related illnesses during the sunny months, as well as mild to severe forms of dehydration.

In summer, both Block and Kornrich said they start to see patients for things like insect bites, bee stings, or tick-borne illnesses like Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, which causes fever, rash, and muscle pain, and can be deadly if not treated early.

The summer months are also when many patients decide to do their yearly physical exams, both Block and Kornrich said.

“The summertime may be a good time to check in and say, ‘Let me update my physical, get some bloodwork, get my cholesterol checked, make sure my blood sugar is in a good range, and update whatever vaccinations I need,’” Kornrich said. “That’s something we certainly see in the summer.”