Omicron Drives New Surge in National Telehealth Utilization

The surge of Omicron cases drove a significant increase in telehealth utilization from November to December, according to nonprofit data consultant FAIR Health. Here is a quick briefing on the new data.

A Dramatic Turnaround

Increases in telehealth use during the pandemic is nothing new. The spikes in telehealth utilization resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns and Medicare coverage waivers are well documented. (See, “Americans Like Telehealth Visits and Want More,” DTET, May 19, 2021.) However, the spikes in the final months of 2021 are noteworthy because they dramatically reverse the nearly 18 months of steady declines that began in May 2020. From September to October, just before the Omicron surge began, telehealth utilization declined almost seven percent on a month-to-month basis, reaching a record-low. But just as how the initial COVID-19 outbreak drove telehealth utilization to new highs in the spring of 2020, the wave of Omicron cases fueled a resurgence at the end of 2021. In December, Telehealth accounted for 4.9 percent of all US medical claims, as compared to 4.4 percent in November, a single month increase of more than 11 percent, according to the independent nonprofit known for its collection and accessible communication of medical claims data. Telehealth utilization was up in every US census region, with the South experiencing the highest increase at 18 percent. Treatment and diagnosis of COVID-19 was the primary cause for the spike, constituting one of the top five telehealth diagnoses across the US and in many census regions in November and December, according to FAIR Health.

Non-COVID-19 Telehealth Utilization

While COVID-19 was the headliner, there were other notable aspects of the December data. Continuing recent patterns, mental health was the number one overall telehealth diagnosis during the month. However, the percentage of all telehealth claims generated by mental health fell, especially in the South where mental health constituted less than 50 percent of all telehealth claim lines. The decline in mental health telehealth claims share corresponded with nationwide increases in acute respiratory diseases and infections. Meanwhile, joint and soft tissue issues cracked the top five telehealth diagnosis list in the Northeast region and hypertension made the list in the South.

Takeaway

As with the initial pandemic-related increase, the spike in telehealth utilization associated with Omicron in the final months of 2021 is unlikely to continue, especially once COVID-19 financial assistance comes to an end and the country settles into endemic conditions. In addition, the relative decline in mental health utilization share will probably prove little more than a hiccup that will in no way induce the many experts who predict that virtual mental health will be the primary driver of telehealth in the future.