April 15, 2022 – During the omicron surge in January, telehealth use jumped by 10 percent, according to Fair Health’s Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker. With January 2022, FAIR Health’s Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker enters its third year of reporting on the evolution of telehealth from month to month. As before, a free, interactive map of the four US census regions allows the user to view an infographic on telehealth in a specific month in the nation as a whole or in individual regions.
This third year brings notable changes to the Tracker. In the first year, to study the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on telehealth, each month in 2020 was compared to the corresponding month in 2019. In the second year, the focus turned to monthly rather than year-over-year changes. The third year adds new features: the top five telehealth specialties and the Telehealth Cost Corner, which presents a specific telehealth procedure code with its median charge amount and median allowed amount. Continuing from previous years are the percent change in telehealth’s percentage of medical claim lines, the top five telehealth procedure codes and the top five telehealth diagnoses.
In January 2022, COVID-19 continued to rank at number two or three among the top five telehealth diagnoses nationally and in all regions. Its share of telehealth claim lines, however, fell in all locations but the West, where the share remained the same. Mental health conditions remained in first place nationally and in all regions, but certain other diagnoses changed. Developmental disorders, for example, rejoined the top five diagnoses in the Northeast after a month off the list, and encounter for examination rejoined the top five in the South after a month off that list.
FAIR Health President Robin Gelburd stated: “As the COVID-19 pandemic enters its third year, FAIR Health begins our third year of tracking the evolution of telehealth. Once again, we have modified our Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker to keep pace with the changing needs of stakeholders for current information about this venue of care.”