National telehealth use grew 2 percent from August to September, making up 4.4 percent of all medical claim lines, according to a Fair Health report.
The increase in telehealth use continues the growth from July to August, when use grew by 2.4 percent. In September, telehealth use increased in the Midwest and West, remained stagnant in the South and declined in the Northeast.
The Fair Health monthly telehealth regional tracker uses data from privately insured individuals and measures the amount of telehealth claims made as a percentage of all medical claims.
In September, the data showed that mental health issues remained the top diagnosis nationally across all regions, making up 61.2 percent of all telehealth claims. COVID-19 diagnoses dropped out of the top five ranked telehealth diagnoses, marking a difference from August when COVID-19 rejoined the top five list for the first time since January. Other top diagnoses included respiratory conditions (3.9 percent), developmental disorders (2 percent), joint and soft tissue diseases (2 percent) and substance use disorders (1.3 percent).