While it may come as no surprise that the use of telehealth in place of in-person office visits would jump during a pandemic, it may still shock you to know just how substantial that jump was in 2020: 13,187%.
As the MedBen chart above indicates, telehealth pre-COVID was a relatively minor segment of total office visits… but beginning in April, we saw a fast spike in telehealth visits. At its peak in May, over one-third of office visits were made via telehealth – primarily for mental health conditions like mood and anxiety disorders and depression.
As the effects of COVID-19 gradually recedes, we are seeing client claims activity return to normal… but we anticipate that telehealth will remain popular with members for the foreseeable future.
You can review telehealth activity for your plan by accessing MedBen Analytics and selecting the COVID-19 Impact Dashboard. To set up your account, please contact Marketing Analyst Morgan Hardy at mhardy@medben.com.