In August 2023, COVID-19 Returned to Top Five Telehealth Diagnoses Nationally, and in the South and Northeast Regions, for First Time since January

Telehealth Utilization Increased Overall in August 2023 Nationally and in Every US Census Region, according to FAIR Health’s Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker

NEW YORK, Nov. 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — In August 2023, COVID-19 once again ranked among the top five telehealth diagnoses nationally, a place it had not held since January 2023, according to FAIR Health’s Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker. COVID-19 entered the rankings in third place nationally with 1.7 percent of telehealth claim lines,1 replacing developmental disorders, which dropped to fifth place. At the regional level, COVID-19 ranked in second place in the Northeast and in third place in the South and West. COVID-19 had not been in the rankings in the Northeast and South since January 2023, nor in the West since December 2022. Only in the Midwest did COVID-19 remain outside the top five telehealth diagnoses in August 2023. The data represent the privately insured population, including Medicare Advantage and excluding Medicare Fee-for-Service and Medicaid.

Mental health conditions ranked as the number one national telehealth diagnosis, a position held since the Telehealth Tracker launched in 2020. In August, however, the percentage of claim lines for this diagnosis decreased nationally and in every region. The biggest decrease occurred in the West, where the percentage of claim lines dropped from 65.2 percent to 64.0 percent, though nationally, there was an almost equivalent decrease from 68.8 percent in July to 67.7 percent in August.

Telehealth Utilization
At the national level and in every US census region, telehealth utilization increased in August 2023. Nationally, the increase was 5.9 percent (a rise from 5.1 percent of medical claim lines in July to 5.4 percent in August). The largest increase, however, was in the South, where utilization rose 10.3 percent. In the Midwest, telehealth utilization rose by 5.3 percent and in the Northeast, the increase was 3.4 percent. The West saw the smallest increase of 2.7 percent.

Asynchronous Telehealth
The national top five asynchronous telehealth2 diagnoses remained the same in August as they were in July, with acute respiratory diseases and infections still holding the number one position. The percentage of asynchronous telehealth claim lines for this condition increased nationally from 16.2 percent in July to 19.4 percent in August. Increases were also evident in the Northeast, where this diagnosis still ranked in third place (rising from 5.6 percent in July to 6.4 percent in August) and the South, where it remained in the number one position (from 21.2 percent to 24.9 percent).

In the Northeast in August, sleep disorders entered the rankings at number five, with 4.1 percent of claim lines, replacing urinary tract infections. In the Midwest, however, sleep disorders left the rankings, replaced by joint/soft tissue diseases and issues (4.7 percent of claim lines), which rose from fifth to fourth place. Endocrine and metabolic disorders also entered the rankings at number five in that region with 4.2 percent of claim lines.

Audio-Only Telehealth Usage
In August 2023, utilization of audio-only telehealth services remained similar to utilization in July nationally and in all regions. Nationally, both urban and rural areas increased slightly; in urban areas, the percentage of audio-only telehealth claim lines rose from 4.8 percent in July to 4.9 percent in August and in rural areas it rose from 4.6 percent to 4.7 percent. The biggest change regionally was in the rural Midwest, where the percentage of claim lines increased from 5.5 percent in July to 5.9 percent in August; urban areas of the Midwest remained steady at 3.1 percent. As in previous months, rural areas showed higher utilization than urban areas in every region except the South, where the pattern was reversed. Nationally, utilization was slightly higher in urban areas (4.9 percent) than rural areas (4.7 percent).

Telehealth Cost Corner
For August 2023, the Telehealth Cost Corner spotlighted the cost of CPT®3 99204, 45-59-minute new patient office or other outpatient visit. Nationally, the median charge amount for this service when rendered via telehealth was $360.96, and the median allowed amount was $199.42.4

About the Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker
Launched in May 2020 as a free service, the Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker uses FAIR Health data to track how telehealth is evolving from month to month. An interactive map of the four US census regions allows the user to view an infographic on telehealth in a specific month in the nation as a whole or in individual regions. Each infographic shows month-to-month changes in volume of telehealth claim lines and audio-only telehealth usage (urban versus rural); the Telehealth Cost Corner, which presents a specific telehealth procedure code with its median charge amount and median allowed amount; and that month’s top five telehealth diagnoses and top five diagnoses via asynchronous telehealth.

FAIR Health President Robin Gelburd stated: “We welcome sharing these varying windows into telehealth utilization as it continues to evolve. This is one of the many ways we pursue our healthcare transparency mission.”

For the Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker, click here.

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About FAIR Health
FAIR Health is a national, independent nonprofit organization that qualifies as a public charity under section 501(c)(3) of the federal tax code. It is dedicated to bringing transparency to healthcare costs and health insurance information through data products, consumer resources and health systems research support. FAIR Health possesses the nation’s largest collection of private healthcare claims data, which includes over 43 billion claim records and is growing at a rate of over 2 billion claim records a year. FAIR Health licenses its privately billed data and data products—including benchmark modules, data visualizations, custom analytics and market indices—to commercial insurers and self-insurers, employers, providers, hospitals and healthcare systems, government agencies, researchers and others. Certified by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as a national Qualified Entity, FAIR Health also receives data representing the experience of all individuals enrolled in traditional Medicare Parts A, B and D; FAIR Health includes among the private claims data in its database, data on Medicare Advantage enrollees. FAIR Health can produce insightful analytic reports and data products based on combined Medicare and commercial claims data for government, providers, payors and other authorized users. FAIR Health’s systems for processing and storing protected health information have earned HITRUST CSF certification and achieved AICPA SOC 2 Type 2 compliance by meeting the rigorous data security requirements of these standards. As a testament to the reliability and objectivity of FAIR Health data, the data have been incorporated in statutes and regulations around the country and designated as the official, neutral data source for a variety of state health programs, including workers’ compensation and personal injury protection (PIP) programs. FAIR Health data serve as an official reference point in support of certain state balance billing laws that protect consumers against bills for surprise out-of-network and emergency services. FAIR Health also uses its database to power a free consumer website available in English and Spanish, which enables consumers to estimate and plan for their healthcare expenditures and offers a rich educational platform on health insurance. An English/Spanish mobile app offers the same educational platform in a concise format and links to the cost estimation tools. The website has been honored by the White House Summit on Smart Disclosure, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), URAC, the eHealthcare Leadership Awards, appPicker, Employee Benefit News and Kiplinger’s Personal Finance. FAIR Health also is named a top resource for patients in Dr. Elisabeth Rosenthal’s book An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back. For more information on FAIR Health, visit fairhealth.org.

Contact:
Rachel Kent
Senior Director of Communications and Marketing
FAIR Health
646-396-0795
[email protected]

1 A claim line is an individual service or procedure listed on an insurance claim.
2 Asynchronous telehealth is telehealth in which data are stored and forwarded (e.g., blood pressure or other cardiac-related readings transmitted electronically; A1c levels transmitted electronically).
3 CPT © 2022 American Medical Association (AMA). All rights reserved.
4 A charge amount is the provider’s undiscounted fee, which a patient may have to pay when the patient is uninsured, or when the patient chooses to go to a provider who does not belong to the patient’s plan’s network. An allowed amount is the total negotiated, in-network fee paid to the provider under an insurance plan. It includes the amount that the health plan pays and the part the patient pays under the plan’s in-network cost-sharing provisions (e.g., copay or coinsurance if the patient has met the deductible).

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SOURCE FAIR Health