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Have you seen your doctor lately? And, how are you doing? 

Chances are you haven't been in because so many clinics have been seeing patients virtually during the pandemic. But that may not be having too much of an impact on your health. 

 shows about 86 percent of patients with chronic, stable conditions have remained stable. In an 

 in the New York Times, Dr. Sandeep Jauhar suggested the finding could mean Americans are over-using the health care system when there isn’t a pandemic.

Worries grow as vaccinations, ER visits fall

Keep up immunizations during pandemic

“I think there’s a lot more to this story,” Dr. Jon Hallberg, medical director of the 

University of Minnesota Physicians Mill City Clinic

 told MPR News host Tom Crann. “If people are doing well, it’s not just because they’re doing well. I think it’s taking a lot of really hard work behind the scenes by a lot of people to make that possible.”

“For example, pharmacists dispensing medications. To make that happen, that requires triage nurses and the clinics,” he said. “We didn’t stop working.”

Hallberg also said the pandemic has caused people to forgo vital care, including getting checked out for symptoms that could signal a serious disease and getting immunizations. 

To hear the full conversation, click play on the audio player above.

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A recent Kaiser Health survey shows about 86 percent of patients with chronic, stable conditions have remained stable. But some are ignoring symptoms or forgoing immunizations. 

Majority with chronic diseases doing fine with limited doctor visits — but some are too important to miss

A sign on a door of a clinic reads "Stop!"

Majority with chronic diseases fine with limited doctor visits, but some too important to miss

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