Telehealth Use Up 10.2% Nationally in May

We’ve all witnessed the meteoric growth of telehealth that has seemingly refused to slow since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, backed by recent telehealth tracking data, it seems that telehealth is on another tear—this time telehealth growth has witnessed an uptick of 10.2 % in May, occupying 5.4 % of all medical claim lines, according to new data. 

This data solidifies that for the second month in a row telehealth use has increased, data gathered by the FAIR Health Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker.

So, what does this mean for you as an organization on the cutting edge of telehealth? Well, as an mHealth app development firm recognized as one of the top San Diego-based app development firms, we’re confident that this data marks a chapter fo explosive growth for telehealth, which will undoubtedly create incredible opportunity for your organization. Let’s dig in!

The FAIR Health Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker

FAIR Health is an independently functioning nonprofit designed to collect and manage data for the nation’s largest database of privately billed health insurance claims. This nationally recognized nonprofit is entrusted with Medicare Parts A, B and D claims data dating back to 2003, making it one of the largest nationally managed repositories of healthcare data.

The tracker itself that identified this increase in telehealth use is one of FAIR Health’s services designed to assess changes in telehealth activity monthly by tracking various metrics such as insurance claims, procedure code entries, and diagnostics. 

And although COVID-19 is undoubtedly a major driver in the increase in telehealth use, the FAIR Health tracker follows privately insured claims such as Medicare Advantage members; however, it’s important to note that FAIR does not track Medicare Fee-for-Service and Medicaid beneficiaries. This aggregation of data provides the best insight into where telehealth stands today and where it’s going in the near future.

Recent Growth in Telehealth

Catalyzed by the global COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth is now a cornerstone of healthcare in today’s modern society. In fact, the January release of the FAIR Health Monthly Regional Telehealth Tracker found an unprecedented uptick in telehealth services throughout the United State for the third month in a row, showing that telehealth doesn’t show signs of slowing even after the COVID-19 pandemic has begun to wane. In November of last year, COVID-19 occupied at least one position on the telehealth diagnoses list and accounted for a 7.3 % increase in telehealth usage. 

In May, national telehealth continued to rise, growing to an astonishing 10.2 % and  the share of telehealth-related medical claims rose from 4.9% in April to 5.4% in May.

Digging Into the Data

So, what exactly is driving this growth, you ask? Understanding where COVID-19 plays a role is critical. COVID-19 rose to second most telehealth diagnosis nationally, moving from the number three spot just a month before. In the southern and midwest states the rise in COVID-19 diagnosis was the same, moving to the second and third position respectively. And in the west COVID-19 diagnosis moved to the second spot for telehealth-related medical claims. 

Further, this recent May report delivered by the FAIR Health Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker showed that one thing had not changed-the number one position for most common telehealth procedure. Even with the unprecedented growth of COVID-19 related telehealth claims, CPT 90837 that represents one-hour psychotherapy held the No. 1 spot both at the national and regional level.

What’s Next for Telehealth

While it’s still unknown what mHealth technology will look like as we move into the future, however, it’s becoming quite certain that mHealth and telemedicine are here to stay. And, sad as it may be, as COVID-19 continues to redefine our daily lives, mHealth will undoubtedly evolve to meet the needs of our society. 

With this incredible growth in telehealth, it begs the question, is now the time to jump into the telehealth app space and capture some market share of the booming market? We believe the data in this piece, and other subsequent pieces we’ve released show that telehealth is in its early stages of a massive multi-billion dollar industry. Those who get in early, will surely reap the rewards of tomorrow’s technology focused healthcare ecosystem. 

Here at Dogtown Media, we’re dedicated to helping our clients bring their app ideas to the market. With over ten years of app development for businesses of all sizes and industries, we are confident we can be your go-to development agency. Reach out today to learn more about how we can help with your next mHealth app!