COVID-19 Declined among Top Five Telehealth Diagnoses Nationally and in Most Regions in September 2022

Telehealth Utilization Virtually Unchanged from August to September 2022 with Modest Uptick in the Northeast

NEW YORK, Dec. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- COVID-19 declined among the top five telehealth diagnoses nationally and in most US census regions from August to September 2022, according to FAIR Health's Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker. Nationally and in the Midwest, COVID-19 fell from second to third place in the rankings. In the South, it fell from third to fifth place, and in the West, it fell from third place out of the rankings. Only in the Northeast did COVID-19 maintain its position at second place. The data represent the privately insured population, including Medicare Advantage and excluding Medicare Fee-for-Service and Medicaid.

Telehealth utilization nationally was unchanged from August to September 2022, as measured by telehealth's share (5.4 percent in both months) of all medical claim lines.¹ Telehealth utilization also was unchanged in the Midwest and West, but it rose 3.4 percent in the Northeast and fell 2.2 percent in the South.

In addition to the changes involving COVID-19, acute respiratory diseases and infections rose among the top five telehealth diagnoses nationally and in most regions from August to September 2022. Nationally and in the Midwest, this diagnosis rose from third to second place; in the West, it climbed from fifth to fourth place; and in the Northeast, it rose from outside the rankings to third place. Only in the South did acute respiratory diseases and infections maintain an unchanged position at second place.

The rankings of the top five telehealth specialties did not change nationally or regionally from August to September 2022. Social worker remained the number one telehealth specialty nationally and in every region.

From August to September 2022, the rankings of the top five telehealth procedure codes did not change nationally or in any region when compared to the prior seven months. The number one telehealth procedure code nationally and in every region remained CPT^®2 90837, one-hour psychotherapy.

For September 2022, the Telehealth Cost Corner spotlighted the cost of CPT 99441, 5-10-minute telephone medical discussion with physician. Nationally, the median charge amount for this service when rendered via telehealth was $49.42, and the median allowed amount was $18.98.³

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 telehealth's percentage of medical claim lines, as well as that month's top five telehealth procedure codes, diagnoses and specialties. Additionally, in the Telehealth Cost Corner, a specific telehealth procedure code is featured, with its median charge amount and median allowed amount.

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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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 38 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 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. Marty Makary's book The Price We Pay: What Broke American Health Care—and How to Fix It and 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 Marketing
FAIR Health
646-396-0795
[email protected]

¹ A claim line is an individual service or procedure listed on an insurance claim.

² CPT © 2022 American Medical Association (AMA). All rights reserved.

³ 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 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).

SOURCE FAIR Health