The average cost per email for patients to message their provider was $39, according to data compiled and reported by Peterson-Kaiser Family Foundation.
KFF examined data from the Health Care Cost Institute on physician and outpatient claims from 2020 and 2021 for patients under the age of 65 years old with employer-sponsored insurance. Billing codes for email interactions were first introduced in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic for providers to bill insurers for at least 5 minutes spent responding to patient-initiated emails.
The analysis focused on email messages associated with charges. Researchers found the average claim for emailed correspondence was $39, and patients paid around $25 out of pocket, according to the report. Depending on their benefits package, some patients paid up to $40 out of pocket.
Four other findings:
1. 56% of claims came from physicians while 44% were from non-physician providers.
2. 43% of the claims were for 5-10 minutes of work.
3. 96% of claims from non-physician providers were for 21 minutes or more.
4. 36.6% of the email claims were for general adult medical advice, followed by 5.4% focused on low back pain as the second most common reason for the email.