Overall use across the U.S. has dropped more than 20% since May. (Photo: fizkes/Shutterstock.com)
Online doctor's visits and long-distance healthcare services might seem like the perfect option for consumers in the COVID-19 era, but new data suggests telehealth might not have staying power.
Though June 2020 played host to a 4,132% increase in telehealth services and procedures compared to the same time last year, overall use across the U.S. has dropped more than 20% since May.
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That's according to nonprofit FAIR Health's Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker, which found telehealth claims constituted almost 9% of medical claims in May and almost 7% in June.
National year-on-year telehealth claims rose 5,680% in May. But claims were highest in April, when they increased 8,335% compared to 2019. That was a period when most states had blocked in-person elective procedures and non-emergency care, so FAIR said it suspects the subsequent drop in claims was likely due to May's flurry of state reopenings.
The Northeast saw the biggest drop between May and June, when it saw 33% less medical claims.
Mental health issues usually dominate telehealth diagnoses, but every region of the U.S. saw an increase in May and June. More than 39% of telehealth diagnoses in May were related to mental health conditions, and that shot to almost 44% in June. FAIR highlighted the Northeast and Midwest in particular, as they saw the highest increases in mental health claims during those months.
And oddly enough, exposure to communicable diseases didn't make the top five diagnoses in the South and West this June, nor did it rank nationally or regionally in May.
That said, FAIR noted that telehealth is certainly in demand compared with 2019.
"It is clear that the COVID-19 pandemic is having a substantial impact on telehealth," FAIR Health's president Robin Gelburd said.
The data stems from private insurance plans covering more than 150 million people. It doesn't include Medicare and Medicaid, and FAIR does not yet have data for July and August.
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Raychel Lean
Raychel Lean is ALM's Florida bureau chief, overseeing the Daily Business Review. Email her at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter via @raychellean.
