#United States #New York #FAIR Health #Telehealth Tracker #Telehealth Data

FAIR Health's Telehealth Tracker Enters Its Sixth Year

FAIR Health, a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing transparency in healthcare costs, has announced the latest data release for its Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker, marking the start of its sixth year of reporting. As of January 2025, the tracker has introduced new metrics that provide an in-depth look at telehealth trends, emphasizing the rapid evolution and growing prominence of this healthcare delivery model across the United States.

Key Changes to the Tracker

The new features in the telehealth tracker include:

• - Percentage of Patients with a Telehealth Claim
• - Top Procedure Categories for Telehealth Usage
• - Urban vs. Rural Telehealth Utilization

These changes reflect the shift from solely analyzing claim lines to providing insights based on commercially insured patients with a telehealth claim. This transition allows stakeholders to grasp more meaningful data about how telehealth is used and who utilizes it most.

Notable Findings from January 2025

The tracker reveals some eye-opening statistics for January 2025:

• - Mental health conditions emerged as the predominant diagnostic category, accounting for approximately 58.5% of telehealth claims nationally. This figure highlights an increased acceptance and use of telehealth for mental health services.
• - Regional differences are apparent, with the Midwest exhibiting the highest percentage of telehealth usage for mental health (65.0%), while the Southern regions showed the lowest at 53.1%.
• - Following mental health, acute respiratory diseases were the second most common diagnoses, reflecting needs likely prompted by seasonality and related public health issues.

Telehealth Utilization Trends

In a comparison between December 2024 and January 2025, the tracker noted a slight increase in telehealth claim percentages across all census regions. Nationally, the share of patients utilizing telehealth climbed from 14.5% to 14.9%, representing a notable surge in acceptance. Each region displayed unique trends, with the Midwest leading in growth with an increase of 4.5%.
However, despite the overall growth in telehealth claims, the Southern region observed a slight decline in telehealth's share of medical claim lines, indicating potentially differing healthcare dynamics.

Urban vs. Rural Disparities

The tracker has further categorized telehealth claims by geographic area, revealing that urban areas have a significantly higher telehealth utilization rate than rural counterparts. In January 2025, 15% of urban patients made telehealth claims compared to only 8% in rural areas. This highlights a critical divide that healthcare providers and policymakers need to address to enhance access for all patients, regardless of their geographic location.

Age Demographics

When it comes to age demographics, the youngest patients, aged 19-30, represented the highest percentage of telehealth claims at 23.6%, closely followed by the 31-40 age group at 23.2%. This information is crucial for understanding which demographic segments are becoming increasingly reliant on telehealth services, particularly as younger individuals often prefer tech-savvy solutions for their healthcare needs. Meanwhile, age groups 0-9 and those 65 and older reported the least engagement with telehealth services, indicating potential areas for growth in outreach and education.

Procedure Categories

The latest report also outlined the leading procedure categories for telehealth. Established patient office or outpatient services topped the charts, alongside psychotherapy services. The regional variations were noteworthy; in the South and West, outpatient services took precedence, while in the Midwest and Northeast, psychotherapy led the way. Nationally, outpatient services constituted 50.6% of telehealth claims, demonstrating strong demand for accessible mental health support.

As FAIR Health continues to update its tracker monthly, it will provide ongoing insights into telehealth's evolution, helping to inform practices, policies, and healthcare decisions across the board. For more detailed information and access to the Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker, please visit FAIR Health.

FAIR Health remains committed to fostering transparency within healthcare and making data-driven insights accessible to consumers, healthcare providers, and policymakers alike.