Nationally, telehealth claim lines increased from 4.80% of medical claim lines in September to 4.89% in October, marking a 2% rise. Regional increases varied, with the West seeing the largest growth at 2.8%, while the Midwest experienced a 3.7% decrease.
Here are four things to know about telehealth utilization, according to FAIR Health’s tracker:
- Psychiatric nurses moved up to the second-most common telehealth specialty nationally in October, overtaking family practice, which fell to fourth place.
- Mental health conditions remained the leading telehealth diagnostic category nationally and regionally.
- The tracker revealed modest differences in telehealth costs compared to office visits. For instance, the median cost for a nutritional therapy reassessment was typically $1 to $2 lower via telehealth than in-office, except in the West, where telehealth costs were slightly higher.
- Telehealth usage was highest among patients aged 31–40, followed by those aged 19–30, a pattern consistent across all regions.
