JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

We aimed to describe the experiences of a large telehealth service before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and assess the impact of the pandemic on telehealth utilization, reasons for visits, and patients served. We reported data in aggregate form as a percentage change from baseline over two time periods: February-June 2019 and February-June 2020. We plotted changes in volume each week from baseline for all virtual visits and four specific categories of visits: respiratory illness, unscheduled behavioral health, scheduled behavioral health, and chronic illness. In 2020, visit volume grew sharply from March through April 6, 2020 (59% above baseline) and then steadily declined through the week of June 1 (15% above baseline). Visits for respiratory illnesses increased through mid-March and then steadily declined (-65% for the June 1 week). In contrast, unscheduled behavioral health and chronic illness visits increased over this period, peaking in April at 109% and 131% respectively before declining to levels that were still approximately 50% above baseline. Visits among urban residents peaked at 58% above baseline, while visits among rural residents peaked at 64% above baseline. Similar to providers who were not focused on telehealth prior to the pandemic, this telehealth service experienced a substantial rise in visits during the COVID-19 pandemic. This growth was surprisingly not fueled by COVID-19 concerns. These findings highlight that telehealth services may play a role as a “safety valve” for patients.