Telehealth Use Dipped 7% in October, But Telemental Care Persisted

National telehealth use declined by nearly 7 percent in October 2021, but mental health conditions remained in the top spot for the most common telehealth diagnoses in every region, according to FAIR Health’s Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker.

From July to September last year, the country’s use of telehealth services continued to increase each month, but that changed in October. In September, telehealth accounted for 4.4 percent of all medical claim lines on a national level. That percentage dropped to 4.1 percent in October, amounting to a 6.8 percent decrease in claim lines.

The Southern region of the country saw the biggest decline in telehealth use, with an 11.4 percent decrease in claim lines. This deviates from the 12.9 percent increase in telehealth utilization that Southern states saw from July to August 2021.

Similarly, there was an 8.3 percent decrease in the West and a 6.4 decrease in claim lines in the Midwest. The Northeast region maintained its telehealth use, with virtual care accounting for 4.8 percent of all claim lines in September and October.

Although there was an overall decrease in telehealth utilization, virtual care remained popular for mental health services. As in September, mental health conditions were the most common diagnosis in the country and every region in October.

What’s more, the share of telehealth claims for mental health conditions increased nationally by 1.5 percent, going from 61.2 percent of claims in September to 62.7 percent of all claims in October. The four regions saw similar increases in telemental health claims as well.

The share of telemental health claims was the highest in the Midwest at 70.8 percent in October. The Northeast followed close behind, with mental health conditions accounting for 70.1 percent of all telehealth claims.

General anxiety disorder maintained its spot as the top mental health diagnosis nationally, as well as in the South, Northeast, and Midwest. Meanwhile, major depressive disorder was the top mental health diagnosis in the West, remaining unchanged since August.

Further, CPT code 90837 for 60 minutes of psychotherapy remained the most-used procedure code on the national level and in every region in September and October. Utilization of the CPT code also increased by about 1 percent nationally and in the four regions, the press release noted.

While virtual mental healthcare grew, telehealth use for COVID-19 diagnoses has shifted slightly, the tracker revealed.

FAIR Health’s data from September found that COVID-19 was no longer in the top five telehealth diagnoses in the country and only appeared as the fifth most common diagnosis in the Midwest.

In October, COVID-19 lost its spot in the top five diagnoses in the Midwest and did not appear in the top five in other regions or nationally.

In the Midwest, substance use disorders newly joined the top five diagnoses, accounting for 1.4 percent of telehealth claim lines, the tracker showed. Substance use disorders appeared in the top five diagnoses in the Northeast and nationally as well.

Encounter for examination newly joined the top five telehealth diagnoses in the South, ranking third, while joint/soft tissue diseases and issues no longer appeared in the top diagnoses.

FAIR Health has been tracking monthly telehealth use in the country and the four regions since May 2020. The Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker reflects data from privately insured individuals, including Medicare Advantage beneficiaries.