FAIR Health reports that declines in telehealth claims were seen in all four U.S. census regions.
Overall private insurance telehealth claims fell 5.4% nationally in April, representing 5.3% of all medical claims, compared with 5.6% of claims in March, according to FAIR Health's Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker.
The drop in telehealth claims was seen in all four U.S. census regions—the Midwest (4.7%), Northeast (6.3%), South (6.8%) and West (6.4%). The average patient visit lasted between 20 and 29 minutes, the median charge was $167.77, and the median allowed amount was $89.70.
Audio-only telehealth fell in both rural and urban areas nationally and in every region except the West, where it fell in rural areas but rose in urban areas.
The data was taken from privately insured population, including Medicare Advantage and excluding Medicare fee-for-service and Medicaid.
Mental health conditions continued to be the top-ranking telehealth diagnosis nationally and in every region, rinsing from 67.4% of telehealth claim lines nationally in March to 68.4% in April—the fourth straight month of national increases.
Claims for acute respiratory diseases and infections, the second most-common telehealth consultation, fell nationally in April from 3.2% in March to 2.7% in April, the fourth straight national monthly decrease for this diagnosis.
Developmental disorders rose to third place while joint/soft tissue diseases and issues fell to fourth place.
Among the top five diagnoses nationally via asynchronous telehealth places with urinary tract infections, rising to third place while UTI fell to fourth.
Asynchronous telehealth claims for hypertension increased to 12.5% nationally in April, up from 9.7% in March, and in every region. Hypertension rose from second to first place in the West and from fourth to second place in the South. It maintained its position nationally (second place) and in the other regions—second place in the Northeast and first in the Midwest.
Sleep disorders climbed in the rankings of asynchronous telehealth diagnoses from fifth to fourth place in the Northeast and from fourth to second place in the West. Diabetes mellitus rose in the rankings in three regions: from fifth to third place in the Midwest, from fourth to third place in the Northeast and from fifth to fourth place in the West.
John Commins is a content specialist and online news editor for HealthLeaders, a Simplify Compliance brand.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The drop in telehealth claims was seen in all for U.S. census regions—the Midwest (4.7%), Northeast (6.3%), South (6.8%) and West (6.4%).
The average patient visit lasted between 20 and 29 minutes, the median charge was $167.77, and the median allowed amount was $89.70.