A snapshot of national telehealth utilization based on claims data shows that in every region of the country, mental health conditions top the diagnostic categories for virtual healthcare, with 67.9 percent of claim lines telehealth.
In March 2024, telehealth utilization decreased nationally and in the South, but increased in the other three US Census regions (Midwest, Northeast, and West), according to FAIR Health’s monthly regional telehealth tracker.
FAIR Health is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing transparency into healthcare costs and health insurance information through data products, consumer resources, and support for health systems research. FAIR Health says it owns the nation’s largest collection of commercial healthcare claims data, including more than 46 billion claims records and is growing at a rate of more than 3 billion claims records annually.
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. In the South, the decrease was 3.1 percent. In the Midwest, the share of claim lines increased 2.2 percent; in the Northeast it increased 3.4 percent; and in the West, it increased by 0.1 percent. Data represent the commercially insured population, excluding fee-for-service Medicare, Medicare Advantage, and Medicaid.
From February to March 2024, the rankings for the top five telehealth diagnostic categories remained the same nationally and in all regions except the West. There, the test match fell from third position in the top five; developmental disorders moved from fifth to third place; and endocrine and metabolic disorders joined the list in fifth position.
At the national level and in all regions, mental health conditions remained in 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 ranking of the top five mental health diagnoses from February to March 2024. Nationally and in all regions, 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 all regions in both months.
From February to March 2024, the rankings for the top five telehealth provider specialties remained the same nationally and across all regions. The social worker occupied the first position nationally and in all regions. Nationwide in March, social workers accounted for 35.4 percent of telehealth claim lines. Across regions, it ranged from 29.9 percent in the South to 41.7 percent in the Midwest.
In March 2024, as in February, the 31 to 40 age group accounted for the largest proportion of telehealth claim lines nationally and in the South and West, while the 19 to 30 years represented the highest proportion in the Midwest and Northeast. In both months, the 19-30 and 31-40 age groups each accounted for more than 20 percent of telehealth claim lines nationally and in all regions.
Costs Nationwide and in the Northeast, the average amount allowed for CPT 97802 (therapeutic procedure for nutrition management, every 15 minutes) in March 2024 was the same ($36) in an office as when performed through of telehealth. In the Midwest and South, the cost was higher in an office than through telehealth: in the Midwest, the office cost was $46 and telehealth was $43; in the South, the office fee was $33 and telehealth was $29. In one region, the West, the median amount allowed was higher through telehealth ($49) than in an office ($39).
“We are happy to share these different windows into the utilization of telehealth as it continues to evolve. This is one of the many ways we pursue our mission of transparency in healthcare,” said FAIR Health President Robin Gelburd. it’s a statement.
