Part B Insider (Multispecialty) Coding Alert

Physician Notes:

EHR Data Points to a Telehealth Slow Down

Telehealth services are still above past averages.

The feds started to offer COVID-19-inspired telehealth updates in March, and many Part B providers jumped on the bandwagon to assist patients and make ends meet.

Now: Recent EHR data suggests that telehealth visits are now leveling off from their original rise in April 2020.

That’s the word from the healthcare think tank Epic Health Research Network. In its study, Epic reveals that in the early days of the public health emergency (PHE), telehealth accounted for 69 percent of healthcare visits, but that number has plummeted. EHR data signals that only about 21 percent of total visits utilize telehealth services right now, which is still significantly higher than pre-COVID-19, indicates Epic.

According to Epic, the telehealth decline is across the board and impacting all geographic locations in the U.S. Researchers don’t give a reason for the decrease but suggest reimbursement changes as a possible motive.

Review Epic’s study at www.ehrn.org/telehealth-fad-or-the-future/.