Non-Hospital-Based Provider-to-Patient Telehealth Use Growing

TUESDAY, Aug. 13, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Use of non-hospital-based provider-to-patient telehealth grew almost 1,400-fold from 2014 to 2018, according to a FAIR Health White Paper.

Researchers from FAIR Health analyzed data from more than 29 billion private health care claim records to examine how telehealth is affecting the health care landscape.

According to the report, the use of non-hospital-based provider-to-patient telehealth increased 1,393 percent from 2014 to 2018, from 0.007 to 0.104 percent of all medical claim lines. There was a 624 percent increase in claim lines related to any type of telehealth, from 0.0192 to 0.1394 percent of all medical claim lines. Non-hospital-based provider-to-patient telehealth accounted for 84 percent of all telehealth claim lines in 2018, an increase from 52 percent in 2014. Usage of non-hospital-based provider-to-patient telehealth increased more rapidly in urban than rural areas from 2014 to 2018. The age range most associated with telehealth overall was 31 to 40 years, accounting for 21 percent of all telehealth claim lines in 2014 to 2018; however, 82 percent of claim lines for discharge-related provider-to-patient telehealth were associated with individuals aged 51 years and older.

“As telehealth continues its rapid growth, we are pleased to use our unparalleled data repository to uncover layers that have been difficult to study,” Robin Gelburd, J.D., the president of FAIR Health, said in a statement.

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