It should comes as no surprise that telehealth visits saw a big upswing in early 2020, as COVID-19 began to spread. As the pandemic subsided, telehealth visits slowly dropped but still retain residual popularity. The graph below shows bimonthly telehealth utilization for MedBen clients just prior to the outbreak through the end of last year.
In the four months between January and May 2020, telehealth visits by MedBen clients skyrocketed over 20,000%. Since that peak, usage has dropped nearly 75%, but still stays well above pre-pandemic numbers.
Looking outside MedBen, a new study indicates that 4 in 10 adults now prefer telehealth visits even when in-person visits are available. Within that group, 70% choose a video consultation and 30% opt for an audio-only visit.
But why does telehealth remain popular? In addition to the convenience factor, telehealth continues to be particularly attractive for mental health visits. For MedBen clients, mood and anxiety disorders, depression and other mental health conditions accounted for over half of telehealth diagnoses in 2023 (see graph below).
You can review telehealth use for your plan by accessing MedBen Analytics and selecting the COVID-19 Impact Dashboard. If you have questions, contact your Account Management team.