Telehealth made up almost half of all Medicare beneficiaries’ primary care use in April

Fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries adopted telehealth for primary care at unprecedented rates as COVID-19 spread in the U.S., according to a new HHS report.
The report, released Tuesday by HHS’ Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, analyzed claims data from January through early June and found FFS Medicare beneficiaries’ use of in-person primary care fell sharply mid-March, while telehealth visits steadily ticked up to make up the deficit. Almost half — 43.5% — of all Medicare primary care visits were being conducted through telehealth in April. That’s up from just 0.1% in February.
Both rural and urban areas saw an increase in use, though it was more marked in urban counties. Providers in rural counties saw a smaller increase in virtual care visits as a proportion of all primary care visits in March and April, and a decrease in May. By comparison, providers in urban counties saw greater virtual care use in March and April and a smaller dip in May.