![]() During surveillance week 13 in 2020, telehealth visits increased 154% (p<0.05), compared with the same week in 2019 ( Figure 1). ![]() Approximately 1,629,000 telehealth encounters occurred in the first 3 months of 2020 (early pandemic period), compared with approximately 1,084,000 encounters during the same period in 2019 (50% increase overall p<0.05). Approximately 2.7 million encounter records were available for analysis. †† Pairwise comparisons of proportions of encounters between weeks were calculated with chi-squared tests p values <0.05 were considered statistically significant. Average weekly percent changes in encounter count were calculated using Joinpoint Regression Analysis Software (version 4.8.0.1). This activity was reviewed by CDC and was conducted consistent with applicable federal law and CDC policy: Ī Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to test the difference in the median encounter count by week from 2019 to 2020. Patient encounters that did not include one of the described criteria were categorized as not COVID-19–related. COVID-19–like illness was defined as fever plus cough or sore throat or shortness of breath. COVID-19–related visits were defined as those with one or more of the following: 1) signs and symptoms in the “reason for visit” field meeting criteria established by CDC in March 2020 for COVID-19–like illness,** 2) ICD-10 codes in the diagnosis field for Z20.828 (contact with and suspected exposure to other viral communicable diseases) or U07.1 (2019-nCoV acute respiratory disease), or 3) the terms “COVID” or “coronavirus” in the “reason for visit” field. Patient encounters for 2020 were characterized as COVID-19–related or not COVID-19–related. The national data in NSSP includes ED visits from a subset of hospitals in 47 states, accounting for approximately 73% of ED visits in the United States. For comparison, total ED visit volume by surveillance week in 20 was analyzed from National Syndromic Surveillance Program (NSSP) data, and percentage change from 2019 to 2020 was calculated by week. Date of encounter was categorized by epidemiologic surveillance week. ¶ No patient, facility, or provider identifiers were included in the datasets. Datasets included the date of the telehealth encounter, patient sex, age, county and state of residence, and, for 2020 visits, disposition after the visit (e.g., home or location the provider recommended that the patient seek additional care, if needed, such as in an emergency department or with a primary care provider), “reason for visit” (text field), and diagnosis defined by one or more International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes. Continuing telehealth policy changes and regulatory waivers might provide increased access to acute, chronic, primary, and specialty care during and after the pandemic.ĭata for this analysis were provided to CDC from four large national telehealth providers as part of partner engagement to monitor and improve outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic. This marked shift in practice patterns has implications for immediate response efforts and longer-term population health. 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). ![]() During January–March 2020, most encounters were from patients seeking care for conditions other than COVID-19. 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. § Trends in telehealth encounters during January–March 2020 (surveillance weeks 1–13) were compared with encounters occurring during the same weeks in 2019. ![]() telehealth providers that offer services in all states. † 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. 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.
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