In May 2023, for First Time, Overweight and Obesity Ranked among Top Five Telehealth Diagnoses in the Midwest and Northeast
Telehealth Utilization Increased Nationally by Nearly Two Percent in May 2023, according to FAIR Health's Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker
NEW YORK, Aug. 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In May 2023, overweight and obesity joined the top five telehealth diagnoses in both the Midwest and Northeast, entering the rankings at number five in both regions, according to FAIR Health's Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker. It was the first time overweight and obesity had appeared among the top five telehealth diagnoses nationally or in any region since the launch of the Telehealth Tracker in 2020. The data represent the privately insured population, including Medicare Advantage and excluding Medicare Fee-for-Service and Medicaid.
In May, the diagnosis of overweight and obesity was rising in the telehealth diagnosis rankings nationally and in the South and West as well, but had not yet made the top five. A possible explanation for the rise of this telehealth diagnosis was the increasing popularity of GLP-1 agonist drugs, such as Ozempic, for weight loss.
In another trend in May that could be related, endocrine and metabolic disorders moved up one spot from number four to number three in the telehealth diagnosis rankings in the South, and from number five to number four in the West, while remaining stable at number five nationally. Physicians may use the diagnosis of endocrine and metabolic disorders when treating patients with GLP-1 agonists for weight loss, as obesity can be considered an endocrine or metabolic disorder.
Telehealth Utilization
National telehealth utilization increased 1.9 percent in May 2023, from 5.3 percent of medical claim lines in April to 5.4 percent in May.1 The increase followed a decrease in April 2023. In May, telehealth utilization also increased in three of the four US census regions—the Northeast (3.3 percent), South (4.9 percent) and West (2.7 percent)—while remaining unchanged in the Midwest (0.0 percent).
Asynchronous Telehealth
In May 2023, among the national top five diagnoses via asynchronous telehealth,2 the percentage of asynchronous telehealth claim lines for hypertension fell nationally and in every region, after rising the previous month. In the Northeast, even though hypertension fell from 22.4 percent of asynchronous telehealth claim lines to 19.9 percent, it rose from the second-ranked to the first-ranked asynchronous telehealth diagnosis. This was because the formerly first-ranked diagnosis, mental health conditions, fell even more sharply, from 22.7 percent to 15.0 percent, dropping to second place.
In May, mental health conditions fell nationally from number three to number five among the top five diagnoses via asynchronous telehealth.
Audio-Only Telehealth Usage
In May 2023, utilization of audio-only telehealth services was higher in rural than urban areas of the Midwest, Northeast and West. Nationally, it was slightly higher in urban areas (5.1 percent of telehealth claim lines) than rural areas (5.0 percent). In the South, it was markedly higher in urban areas (10.2 percent) than rural areas (5.0 percent).
Telehealth Cost Corner
For May 2023, the Telehealth Cost Corner spotlighted the cost of CPT®3 99457, management using the results of remote vital sign monitoring per calendar month, first 20 minutes. This procedure might be billed when the provider uses the results of remote physiological monitoring of parameters such as weight, blood pressure, pulse oximetry or respiratory flow rate to manage a patient under a specific treatment plan. Nationally, the median charge amount for this service when rendered via telehealth was $129.51, and the median allowed amount was $65.79.4
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.
Follow us on Twitter @FAIRHealth
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 42 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.
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). |
Contact:
Rachel Kent
Senior Director of Communications and Marketing
FAIR Health
646-396-0795
[email protected]
SOURCE FAIR Health
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