Sleep Disorders Entered the National Top Five Telehealth Diagnostic Categories in March 2025

In March, the Percentage of Patients with a Telehealth Claim Decreased Nationally and in Every Region Except the West, Where It Increased

NEW YORK, June 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Sleep disorders entered the national top five telehealth diagnostic categories in March 2025 in fifth position, according to FAIR Health's Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker. At the national level, this diagnostic category accounted for 1.8 percent of patients with a telehealth claim. Joint/soft tissue diseases and issues, which had been in fifth position in the national top five in February, rose to fourth, and overweight and obesity, which had been in fourth position in February, dropped off the list in March. In the West, sleep disorders also entered the top five in fifth position, displacing overweight and obesity, which fell off the list there as well. The data represent the commercially insured population, excluding Medicare Fee-for-Service, Medicare Advantage and Medicaid.

Mental health conditions remained the top diagnostic category nationally and in every US census region in March. This category accounted for 61.6 percent of patients with a telehealth claim nationally, down from 62.3 percent in February. Regionally, in March, the percentage varied from 68.2 percent in the Northeast to 55.9 percent in the South.

Utilization
In March 2025, the percentage of patients with a telehealth claim decreased nationally and in every region except the West. Nationally, that percentage decreased from 14.5 percent of patients in February to 14.3 percent in March, a 1.2 percent drop. Regionally, the decreases varied from 0.8 percent in the Northeast to 2.4 percent in the Midwest. In the West, however, the percentage of patients with a telehealth claim increased 1.8 percent.

During the same period, telehealth claim lines¹ decreased as a percentage of all medical claim lines nationally, in the South and in the Midwest, but they increased in the Northeast and West. Nationally, the percentage decreased 3.1 percent, from 5.1 percent of claim lines in February to 5.0 percent in March. In both the South and Midwest, telehealth claim lines decreased 5.2 percent. The increases were 2.5 percent in the Northeast and 0.7 percent in the West.

Urban versus Rural
As in February, in March 2025, telehealth utilization was higher in urban than rural areas nationally and in all four regions.² Nationally, 14.5 percent of patients in urban areas used telehealth, compared to 7.2 percent in rural areas. The largest difference occurred in the South, where the percentage of urban patients using telehealth (12.6 percent) was 2.3 times the percentage of rural patients (5.4 percent). The smallest difference was found in the Northeast, where the urban share (16.2 percent) was 1.5 times the rural share (11.0 percent).

Age Distribution
As in February, in March 2025, the age groups 19-30 and 31-40 accounted for the largest percentages of patients with a telehealth claim nationally and in every region. On the national level, 23.3 percent of patients in the age group 19-30 had a telehealth claim, and 22.6 percent of patients in the age group 31-40 had a telehealth claim. Nationally and in every region, the age groups 0-9 and 65 and older accounted for the smallest shares (less than 10 percent each) of patients with a telehealth claim.

Procedure Categories
In March 2025, as in February, the top two procedure categories nationally and in every region were established patient office or other outpatient services, and psychotherapy services and procedures. The order of the two varied by region. Nationally and in the South and West, established patient office or other outpatient services ranked first; in the Midwest and Northeast, psychotherapy services and procedures ranked first. On the national level, established patient office or other outpatient services (including those for mental health conditions) accounted for 48.9 percent of patients with a telehealth claim (up from 48.1 percent in February), while psychotherapy services and procedures accounted for 46.1 percent (down from 47.1 percent).

About the Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker
Launched in May 2020 as a free service, the Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker uses FAIR Health data to track how telehealth is evolving from month to month. An interactive map of the four US census regions allows the user to view an infographic on telehealth in a specific month in the nation as a whole or in individual regions. Each year, the infographic introduces varied views into telehealth utilization. In this sixth iteration of the Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker, each infographic shows month-to-month changes in telehealth utilization, both through telehealth's percentage of medical claim lines and percent of patients with a telehealth claim; that month's top five diagnostic categories; top five procedure categories; age distribution, which captures the percentage of patients within each age group with a telehealth claim; and urban versus rural telehealth usage.

For the Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker, click here.

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About FAIR Health
FAIR Health is a national, independent nonprofit organization that qualifies as a public charity under section 501(c)(3) of the federal tax code. It is dedicated to bringing transparency to healthcare costs and health insurance information through data products, consumer resources and health systems research support. FAIR Health possesses the nation's largest collection of commercial healthcare claims data, which includes over 51 billion claim records and is growing at a rate of about 4 billion claim records a year. FAIR Health licenses its commercial data and data products—including benchmark modules, data visualizations, custom analytics and market indices—to commercial insurers and self-insurers, employers, providers, hospitals and healthcare systems, government agencies, researchers and others. Certified by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as a national Qualified Entity, FAIR Health also receives data representing the experience of all individuals enrolled in traditional Medicare Parts A, B and D, which accounts for a separate collection of over 51 billion claim records; FAIR Health includes among the commercial claims data in its database, data on Medicare Advantage enrollees. FAIR Health can produce insightful analytic reports and data products based on combined Medicare and commercial claims data for government, providers, payors and other authorized users. FAIR Health's systems for processing and storing protected health information have earned HITRUST CSF certification and achieved AICPA SOC 2 Type 2 compliance by meeting the rigorous data security requirements of these standards. As a testament to the reliability and objectivity of FAIR Health data, the data have been incorporated in statutes and regulations around the country and designated as the official, neutral data source for a variety of state health programs, including workers' compensation and personal injury protection (PIP) programs. FAIR Health data serve as an official reference point in support of certain state balance billing laws that protect consumers against bills for surprise out-of-network and emergency services. FAIR Health also uses its database to power a free consumer website available in English and Spanish, which enables consumers to estimate and plan for their healthcare expenditures and offers a rich educational platform on health insurance. An English/Spanish mobile app offers the same educational platform in a concise format and links to the cost estimation tools. The website has been honored by the White House Summit on Smart Disclosure, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), URAC, the eHealthcare Leadership Awards, appPicker, Employee Benefit News and Kiplinger's Personal Finance. For more information on FAIR Health, visit fairhealth.org.

Contact:
Rachel Kent
Executive Director of Communications and Marketing
FAIR Health
646-396-0795
[email protected]

¹ A claim line is an individual service or procedure listed on an insurance claim. 
² Each telehealth service was attributed to a rural/urban designation in a region based on the patient's medical service area, which FAIR Health determines based on the unique geographical pattern of services utilized by the patient.

SOURCE FAIR Health