Medicare telehealth utilization: 7 trends to know

Only 15 percent of patients who were eligible for Medicare fee-for-service telehealth used the service in the second quarter of 2022, according to a Dec. 15 telehealth utilization report from CMS.

CMS analyzed data from Medicare Fee-for-Service Part B claims data and Medicare enrollment information for beneficiaries who utilized telehealth services between January 1, 2020, and June 30, 2022.

Seven trends CMS observed about Medicare telehealth usage:

1. Out of 22,683,405 patients who were eligible for Medicare fee-for-service telehealth utilization in the second quarter of 2022, 3,369,035 patients, or 15 percent, actually used it.
   
   
2. The highest rate of telehealth usage was in the second quarter of 2020, when 47 percent of eligible beneficiaries used it.
   
   
3. Hispanic Medicare users were more likely than other race/ethnicity groups to use a telehealth service in the second quarter of 2022.
    
4. Dual Medicare and Medicaid users were more likely to use a telehealth service in the second quarter of 2022, compared to Medicare-only beneficiaries.
    
5. Women were more likely than men to use a telehealth service in the second quarter of 2022.
   
   
6. People 64 and younger were most likely to use a telehealth service in the second quarter of 2022.
   
   
7. Urban Medicaid users were more likely than rural beneficiaries to use a telehealth service in the second quarter of 2022.