Telehealth accounted for 5.6% of medical claims in October 2020—compared with 0.18% of claims in October 2019, according to FAIR Health’s Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker. Given that cases of COVID-19 are climbing again, it’s unlikely the volume of virtual visits and ensuing claims will go down anytime soon. Consequently, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has extended COVID-19’s status as a public health emergency, and with it key waivers for telehealth until April 2021. One thing the waivers pave the way or is for healthcare providers to conduct virtual visits with patients who are not in the same state as the provider. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services created a fact sheet with details regarding use of telemedicine during the pandemic; you can access it here.
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Telehealth Has Been Booming During the Pandemic—so Waivers Have Been Extended