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.
