
Decline Seen in National Telehealth Utilization in October 2021
After 2 months of growth, national telehealth utilization declined in October 2021, according to FAIR Health’s
FIGURE 1. Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker, September versus October 2021, United States
A decline in telehealth utilization was seen in all regions in October except for the Northeast, where telehealth utilization remained stable at 4.8% of medical claim lines. The greatest decline, 11.4%, occurred in the South.
From September to October 2021, mental health conditions, which remained the top-ranking telehealth diagnosis nationally and in every region, increased in percentage share of all telehealth claim lines nationally (by 1.5%) and in every region. Similarly, the procedure code CPT 90837, 60-minute psychotherapy, increased as a share of all telehealth claim lines nationally and in every region by about 1%, while remaining the top-ranking procedure code nationally and in every region.
In October 2021, COVID-19 dropped out of the top 5 telehealth diagnoses in the Midwest, the only region where it had ranked in the top 5 in September (FIGURE 2). As a result, COVID-19 was no longer in the top 5 telehealth diagnoses nationally or in any region in October. In that same month, substance use disorders joined the top 5 at number 4 in the Midwest. The Midwest joined the Northeast in having that condition among its top 5 telehealth diagnoses.
FIGURE 2. Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker, September versus October 2021, Midwest
In October 2021 in the South, encounter for examination joined the top 5 telehealth diagnoses at number 3, while joint/soft tissue diseases and issues dropped out of the top five.
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, top 5 telehealth procedure codes and top 5 telehealth diagnoses (or diagnostic categories), along with that month’s top 5 granular diagnoses within the most common diagnostic category.
As the COVID-19 pandemic and telehealth utilization continue to evolve, FAIR Health’s Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker serves as a window into that evolution. This is one of the many ways we pursue our healthcare transparency mission.
For the Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker, click
Author Information
Robin Gelburd, JD, is the founding president of
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