Mental Health Remained Common Telehealth Diagnosis Through Pandemic
Despite various changes in telehealth utilization, mental health conditions were the most common telehealth diagnosis nationally throughout the pandemic.
Mental health conditions consistently appeared among the top telehealth diagnoses across the country during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report from FAIR Health.
FAIR Health released The Evolution of Telehealth during the COVID-19 Pandemic, a data brief that discusses the changes that have occurred from 2019 to the present day, earlier this week.
A nonprofit organization, FAIR Health’s report includes private healthcare claims data from January 2020 to March 2022 gathered through FAIR Health’s Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker, an online tool that reports changes in telehealth usage every month.
From 2020 to 2022, there were various changes in telehealth use, including in how different regions utilized the care modality and what types of diagnoses were the most frequent.
Mental health conditions were the most common telehealth diagnoses at the national level over the two years studied. Relatedly, social workers conducted the highest number of telehealth services in January, both nationally and in every region. Further, three of the top five telehealth provider specialties nationally and in every region were social worker, psychiatrist and psychologist
Something else that stood out to researchers was the dramatic increase in telehealth claim lines between March 2019 and March 2020. During this time, there was a 4,347 percent increase in national telehealth claim lines.
Researchers also observed that COVID-19 did not occupy spots on regional telehealth diagnoses lists immediately starting in 2020. November 2020 was the first month COVID-19 appeared on a regional telehealth diagnosis list — it was ranked fourth in the Midwest. The following month, however, the disease appeared on every diagnosis list, both nationally and regionally.
Vaccination levels also correlated with the frequency of telehealth use. As they increased in the spring and summer of 2021, telehealth claim lines decreased. However, telehealth use increased in the fall and winter of 2021 when the Delta and Omicron variants surged.
Nonetheless, COVID-19 significantly contributed to telehealth use between January 2020 and March 2022, according to the report.
An external study by JD Power from October 2020 indicated a high patient satisfaction level with telehealth. Researchers found that telehealth use skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic and allowed patients and providers to engage in remote chronic disease management.
Another survey conducted by the COVID-19 Healthcare Coalition in April 2021 also reported high levels of patient satisfaction with telehealth during the pandemic. Over 80 percent of respondents reported good overall virtual visit quality, and 78 percent said they felt their health concerns could be adequately addressed via telehealth. The survey also shared that a high percentage of respondents expressed interest in continuing telehealth use following the end of the pandemic.