The Biggest Change Was a 5.7 Percent Increase in the West, and a 3.3 Percent Decrease in the Northeast, according to FAIR Health’s Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker
Telehealth Utilization in the Country Overall is Relatively Stable
, /PRNewswire/ — Telehealth use, as measured by telehealth’s share of all lines of medical claims, varies by US region from June to July 2022, according to FAIR Health’s Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker.1 Telehealth utilization increased in three of the four US census territories— Midwest, South and West—with the largest increase (5.7 percent) in the West, where telehealth utilization increased from 7.0 to 7.4 percent of medical claim lines; The South increased 4.9 percent and the Midwest 2.5 percent. In the Northeast, telehealth utilization fell by 3.3 percent, from 6.0 percent of medical claims lines to 5.8 percent. Overall, national telehealth utilization increased 1.9 percent from June to July, after declining 3.7 percent from May to June, rising from 5.2 percent of medical claims lines in June to 5.3 percent in July. Data is representative of the privately insured population, including Medicare Advantage and excluding Medicare Fee-for-Service and Medicaid.
SpecializationsIn July 2022, social workers remain the top-ranked telehealth specialist across regions and nationally, as they have been since February 2022. But in the South, social workers fell by 8.7 percent of telehealth claims lines in July 2022, with psychiatrists increasing by 8. .1 percent, although the specialty remains in third place.
Additionally in July 2022, non-physician and primary care psychologists changed positions in the Midwest, with the former ending in third place and the latter in fourth place. In the Northeast, psychiatrists and psychologists changed positions, with the former ending in third place and the latter in fourth place.
Diagnosis Nationally and in every region as of July 2022, COVID-19 ranks second among telehealth diagnoses. This is a ranking that was also held in June 2022 everywhere except in the South, where COVID-19 ranked third in June.
Also in July 2022, acute respiratory illnesses and infections fell from the top five telehealth diagnoses in the Northeast, with joint/soft tissue diseases and problems joining the list. In addition, acute respiratory illnesses and infections are not included in the top five telehealth diagnoses in the West and are being replaced by endocrine and metabolic disorders.
Code of ProcedureAs of July 2022, the ranking of the top five telehealth procedure codes has not changed nationally or in any region when compared to the previous five months. The number one telehealth procedure code nationally and in every region remains CPT®2 90837, one hour psychotherapy.
CostsFor July 2022, the Telehealth Cost Corner highlights the costs of CPT 96127, an emotional or behavioral problem assessment. Nationally, the median amount charged for this service when provided via telehealth is $17.72, and the median amount allowed is $8,34.3.
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 progressing from month to month. An interactive map of the four US census areas allows users to view infographics about telehealth in a given month in the country as a whole or in individual regions. Each infographic shows the month-to-month change in the percentage of telehealth medical claims lines, as well as the top five telehealth procedure codes, diagnoses, and specialties for that month. Additionally, in the Telehealth Fee Corner, a specific telehealth procedure code is displayed, with the average cost amount and the median amount allowed.
FAIR Health President Robin Gelburd stated: “We welcome sharing these windows into telehealth utilization as it continues to evolve. This is one of many ways we are pursuing our mission of healthcare transparency.”
For the Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker, click here.
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About FAIR HealthFAIR Health is a national independent non-profit organization that qualifies as a public charity under section 501(c)(3) of the federal tax code. It is dedicated to providing transparency of health care costs and health insurance information through data products, consumer resources, and health system research support. FAIR Health has the largest private healthcare claims data collection in the nation, covering more than 38 billion claims records and growing at a rate of over 2 billion claims records per year. FAIR Health licenses privately billed data and data products—including benchmark modules, data visualizations, custom analytics, and market indexes—to commercial and self-insurance companies, employers, providers, hospital 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 that is representative of the experiences of all individuals enrolled in traditional Medicare Parts A, B and D; FAIR Health includes personal claims data in its database, data about Medicare Advantage registrants. FAIR Health can generate insightful analytical reports and data products based on a mix of Medicare and commercial claims data for governments, providers, payers, and other authorized users. FAIR Health’s system for processing and storing protected health information is HITRUST CSF certified and achieves AICPA SOC 2 compliance by meeting the stringent data security requirements of this standard. As a testament to the reliability and objectivity of FAIR Health’s data, they have been incorporated into laws and regulations across the country and are designated as the official and neutral data source for various state health programs, including workers’ compensation and personal injury protection. (PIP). The FAIR Health data serves as the official reference point for supporting certain state balance collection laws that protect consumers against shock bills outside the network and emergency services. FAIR Health also uses its database to support a free consumer website available in English and Spanish, which allows consumers to estimate and plan their health care spending and offers a rich educational platform on health insurance. The English/Spanish mobile app offers the same educational platform in a compact format and links to cost estimation tools. This website received awards from the White House Summit on Smart Disclosure, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), URAC, eHealthcare Leadership Awards, appPicker, Employee Benefit News and Kiplinger’s Personal Finance. FAIR Health was also named a premier resource for patients in Dr. Marty Makary The Price We Pay: What Broke American Health Care—and How to Fix It and Dr. Elisabeth Rosenthal An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back. For more information about FAIR Health, visit fairhealth.org.
Contact:Rachel KentSenior Director of MarketingFAIR Health646-396-0795[email protected]
1 A claim line is an individual service or procedure listed on an insurance claim. 2 CPT © 2021 American Medical Association (AMA). All rights reserved.3 The fee amount is an undiscounted fee from the provider, which the patient may have to pay when the patient is uninsured, or when the patient chooses to go to a provider who is not included in the patient’s package network. The allowable amount is the total cost paid to the provider under the insurance plan. This includes the amount paid by the health plan and the share paid by the patient under the plan’s online cost-sharing provisions (for example, copay or coinurance if the patient has met the deduction).
