Report: Telemedicine Utilization Increased 30-Fold During First 12 Months of COVID-19 Pandemic

Arkansas Center for Health Improvement: Report: Telemedicine Utilization Increased 30-Fold During First 12 Months of COVID-19 Pandemic

The Arkansas Center for Health Improvement (ACHI) assessed telemedicine trends from March 2020 through April 2021 for Arkansas, with trends reflecting findings similar to the CMS Medicare Telemedicine Snapshot report during the pandemic. April 2020 represented the month with the highest utilization of telemedicine services, with slightly reduced but still high utilization through the summer months into early fall 2020. Despite a reduction in telemedicine claims utilization from November 2020 through April 2021, telehealth claims were still up 67 percent in April 2021 compared to March 2020. Given the increased utilization of telemedicine services, both the state and federal government have made permanent some of the telemedicine rule changes instituted in response to the pandemic.