Telehealth claim lines rose 2,817% from December 2019 to December 2020, according to a new report that revealed how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed how healthcare is delivered and consumed. Compared to the same month in 2019, the volume of telehealth claim lines rose from 0.22% to 6.5%.
The rise in telehealth was true across all four regions of the U.S., according to Fair Health, which tracks monthly telehealth claims. The report included private insurance data and excluded Medicare and Medicaid. The findings align with other studies and surveys showing a huge demand for telehealth during the pandemic, as patients and healthcare professionals alike aim to reduce exposure and spread of the virus.
“Higher telehealth utilization from March to December 2020 in comparison with the same months in 2019 was likely a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, as patients and providers turned to telehealth as a way of reducing the risk of disease transmission associated with in-person visits,” Robin Gelburd, JD, president of FAIR Health, wrote in AJMC about the latest figures.
The survey also measured the five most common diagnoses made via telehealth, with COVID-19 cracking the list for the first time in December 2020. As COVID cases surged on telehealth claims, other conditions like the flu declined to “unusually low” levels.
The top five diagnoses included:
- Mental Health Conditions (47%)
- Exposure to Communicable Diseases (3.6%)
- Acute Respiratory Diseases and Infections (3.4%)
- Joint/Soft Tissue Diseases and Issues (3.4%)
- COVID-19 (3%)
In 2019, the top five diagnoses were:
- Acute Respiratory Diseases and Infections (32%)
- Mental Health Conditions (23.5%)
- Influenza and Pneumonia (5.6%)
- Urinary Tract Infections (5.1%)
- Eye Infections and Issues (3.3%)
Use of telehealth services rose for both rural and urban populations, with the urban usage rising to 6.7% in 2020 compared to 4.3% in the rural population.
Fair Health has been tracking telehealth services since May as a free service to analyze how telehealth is evolving on a month-to-month basis.
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Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."