In March, Telehealth Utilization Decreased Nationally and in South, but Increased in Other Regions

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Jun 17, 2024, 08:30 ET

Nationally and in Every Region, Mental Health Conditions Remained the Top Telehealth Diagnostic Category

Together, the Specific Diagnoses of Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder Accounted for over Half of Mental Health Telehealth Claim Lines in Both February and March

NEW YORK, June 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In March 2024, telehealth utilization decreased nationally and in the South, but increased in the three other US census regions (Midwest, Northeast and West), according to FAIR Health's Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker. Nationally, medical claim lines associated with telehealth fell from 4.79 percent in February to 4.73 percent in March, a decrease of 1.3 percent.¹ In the South, the decrease was 3.1 percent. In the Midwest, the share of claim lines rose 2.2 percent; in the Northeast, it rose 3.4 percent; and in the West, it rose 0.1 percent. The data represent the commercially insured population, excluding Medicare Fee-for-Service, Medicare Advantage and Medicaid.

Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker, March 2024, United States

Diagnostic Categories
From February to March 2024, the rankings of the top five telehealth diagnostic categories remained the same nationally and in every region except the West. There, encounter for examination dropped from the third position out of the top five; developmental disorders rose from the fifth to third position; and endocrine and metabolic disorders joined the list in the fifth position.

Nationally and in every region, mental health conditions remained in the first position. The percentage of telehealth claim lines for mental health conditions increased nationally and in the Northeast and South, stayed the same in the West and fell in the Midwest.

Mental Health Diagnoses
There was no change in the rankings of the top five mental health diagnoses from February to March 2024. Nationally and in every region, the top five mental health diagnoses in both months were: generalized anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, adjustment disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. Together, generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder accounted for more than 50 percent of mental health telehealth claim lines nationally and in every region in both months.

Specialties
From February to March 2024, the rankings of the top five telehealth provider specialties remained the same nationally and in every region. Social worker was in the first position nationally and in all regions. In March, at the national level, social worker accounted for 35.4 percent of telehealth claim lines. Across regions, it varied from 29.9 percent in the South to 41.7 percent in the Midwest.

Age
In March 2024, as in February, the age group 31 to 40 accounted for the largest share of telehealth claim lines nationally and in the South and West, while the age group 19 to 30 accounted for the largest share in the Midwest and Northeast. In both months, the age groups 19-30 and 31-40 each accounted for more than 20 percent of telehealth claim lines nationally and in every region.

Costs
Nationally and in the Northeast, the median allowed amount² for CPT^®3 97802 (therapy procedure for nutrition management, each 15 minutes) in March 2024 was the same ($36) in an office as when rendered via telehealth. In the Midwest and South, the cost was higher in an office than via telehealth: In the Midwest, the office cost was $46 and the telehealth cost $43; in the South, the office cost was $33 and the telehealth cost $29. In one region, the West, the median allowed amount was higher via telehealth ($49) than in an office ($39).

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 year, the infographic introduces varied views into telehealth utilization. In this fifth iteration of the Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker, each infographic shows month-to-month changes in volume of telehealth claim lines; that month's top five diagnostic categories, mental health diagnoses and specialties; age distribution; and the Place of Service Cost Corner, which compares median allowed amounts for a specific procedure provided via telehealth to the same procedure provided in an office.

FAIR Health President Robin Gelburd stated: "We are happy to share 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.

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 commercial healthcare claims data, which includes over 46 billion claim records and is growing at a rate of over 3 billion claim records a year. FAIR Health licenses its commercial 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, which accounts for a separate collection of over 47 billion claim records; FAIR Health includes among the commercial 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. For more information on FAIR Health, visit fairhealth.org.

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

¹A claim line is an individual service or procedure listed on an insurance claim.
² 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).
³ CPT © 2023 American Medical Association (AMA). All rights reserved.

SOURCE FAIR Health