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. 2020 Oct 30;69(43):1595-1599.
doi: 10.15585/mmwr.mm6943a3.

Trends in the Use of Telehealth During the Emergence of the COVID-19 Pandemic - United States, January-March 2020

Lisa M Koonin, Brooke Hoots, Clarisse A Tsang, Zanie Leroy, Kevin Farris, Tilman Jolly, Peter Antall, Bridget McCabe, Cynthia B R Zelis, Ian Tong, Aaron M Harris

Trends in the Use of Telehealth During the Emergence of the COVID-19 Pandemic - United States, January-March 2020

Lisa M Koonin et al. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. .

Erratum in

  • Erratum: Vol. 69, No. 43.
    [No authors listed] [No authors listed] MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2020 Nov 13;69(45):1711. doi: 10.15585/mmwr.mm6945a9. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2020. PMID: 33180760 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

Abstract

In February 2020, CDC issued guidance advising persons and health care providers in areas affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic to adopt social distancing practices, specifically recommending that health care facilities and providers offer clinical services through virtual means such as telehealth.* Telehealth is the use of two-way telecommunications technologies to provide clinical health care through a variety of remote methods.† To examine changes in the frequency of use of telehealth services during the early pandemic period, CDC analyzed deidentified encounter (i.e., visit) data from four of the largest U.S. telehealth providers that offer services in all states.§ Trends in telehealth encounters during January-March 2020 (surveillance weeks 1-13) were compared with encounters occurring during the same weeks in 2019. During the first quarter of 2020, the number of telehealth visits increased by 50%, compared with the same period in 2019, with a 154% increase in visits noted in surveillance week 13 in 2020, compared with the same period in 2019. During January-March 2020, most encounters were from patients seeking care for conditions other than COVID-19. However, the proportion of COVID-19-related encounters significantly increased (from 5.5% to 16.2%; p<0.05) during the last 3 weeks of March 2020 (surveillance weeks 11-13). This marked shift in practice patterns has implications for immediate response efforts and longer-term population health. Continuing telehealth policy changes and regulatory waivers might provide increased access to acute, chronic, primary, and specialty care during and after the pandemic.

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Conflict of interest statement

All authors have completed and submitted the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors form for disclosure of potential conflicts of interest. Peter Antall reports that he is President and Chief Medical Officer of Amwell Medical Group and on the advisory board of Chatbot Company; Bridget McCabe reports personal fees from Teladoc Health, Inc., as the Medical Director, Clinical Quality/Clinical Informatics; Ian Tong reports personal fees from Doctor On Demand, Inc, as the Chief Medical Officer; and Cynthia Zelis reports personal fees from MDLIVE, Inc., as the Chief Medical Officer. No other potential conflicts of interest were disclosed.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Number of telehealth patient encounters reported by four telehealth providers that offer services in all states and percentage change in telehealth encounters and emergency department (ED) visits — United States, January 1–March 30, 2019 (comparison period) and January 1–March 28, 2020 (early pandemic period) Abbreviations: CARES Act = Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act; CMS = Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services; COVID-19 = coronavirus disease 2019. * Unpublished ED visit data obtained from the National Syndromic Surveillance Program.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Number of telehealth patient encounters for persons with COVID-19-like symptoms, coronavirus-related ICD-10 codes, or coronavirus-related text string entries reported by four telehealth providers that offer services in all states — United States, January 1–March 28, 2020 Abbreviations: COVID-19 = coronavirus disease 2019; ICD-10 = International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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