Telehealth claim lines are continuing to decrease — they dropped by 16 percent in February compared to January and dropped 5 percent in March compared to February, according to healthcare data cost organization Fair Health.
Four details from Fair Health's monthly report:
- Telehealth claims made up 5.9 percent of medical claim lines in February and 5.6 percent of medical claim lines in March.
- The top five reasons for telehealth visits in February were mental health conditions (54.6 percent), joint and soft tissue diseases and issues (3.2 percent), developmental disorders (3 percent), acute respiratory diseases and infections (2.2 percent), and hypertension (1.8 percent).
- The top five reasons for telehealth visits in March were mental health conditions (57 percent), developmental disorders (3 percent), joint and soft tissue diseases and issues (2.9 percent), acute respiratory diseases and infections (2.2 percent), and general signs and symptoms (1.6 percent).
- Telehealth claims related to developmental disorders stayed the same, as most telehealth claims related to conditions that affect mainly adults decreased. This could mean vaccinated individuals are increasingly opting for in-person appointments rather than virtual visits, as most children are still not eligible for COVID-19 vaccination.