A Look Back at 2020: FAIR Health Articles Published in the Media
January 21, 2021
FAIR Health’s articles and thought leadership were particularly vital in 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic raged; such information shed light on the effects of the pandemic on the US healthcare system and on those most likely to be affected by the disease.
“How to Deal with COVID-19 Medical Costs,” U.S. News & World Report, December 28, 2020.
This article discusses ways in which people can manage the costs of COVID-19 testing and treatment.
“Telehealth Claim Lines Rise 2980% in One-Year Period through September 2020,” American Journal of Managed Care, December 1, 2020.
The striking rise in telehealth services in 2020, as seen in claims tracked by FAIR Health, is reported in this article. Telehealth claim lines increased 2,980 percent nationally from September 2019 to September 2020, rising from 0.16 percent of medical claim lines in September 2019 to 5.07 percent in September 2020. The data are from FAIR Health’s Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker.
“Links between COVID-19 Comorbidities, Mortality Detailed in FAIR Health Study,” American Journal of Managed Care, November 11, 2020.
This article conveys the results of a collaborative study by FAIR Health, the West Health Institute and Marty Makary, MD, MPH, from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. The study was released as a white paper entitled Risk Factors for COVID-19 Mortality among Privately Insured Patients: A Claims Data Analysis.
“Developmental Disorders Top the Medical Conditions That Heighten the Risk of Dying from Covid-19,” STAT, November 11, 2020.
An in-depth look at the FAIR Health study done in collaboration with the West Health Institute and Dr. Marty Makary is presented in this article. The study intended to explore the connections between underlying conditions and the risk of dying from COVID-19. Across all age groups, COVID-19 patients had the greatest odds of dying if they had developmental disorders.
“Telehealth Shows Staying Power during COVID-19 Pandemic,” American Journal of Managed Care, October 29, 2020.
The staying power of telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic is made evident in the August 2020 results of FAIR Health’s Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker. As related in this article, telehealth claim lines increased 3,552 percent nationally from August 2019 to August 2020, rising from 0.17 percent of medical claim lines in August 2019 to 6.07 percent in August 2020.
“Telehealth Claim Lines Rise from July 2019 to July 2020,” American Journal of Managed Care, October 6, 2020.
As discussed in this article, telehealth claim lines increased 3,806 percent nationally from July 2019 to July 2020, rising from 0.15 percent of medical claim lines in July 2019 to 6.0 percent in July 2020. The data came from FAIR Health’s Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker.
“A New Study Explores COVID-19’s Significant Impact on the Dental Industry,” U.S. News & World Report, September 18, 2020.
This article presents key findings from the fifth in FAIR Health’s series of COVID-19 briefs, Dental Services and the Impact of COVID-19: An Analysis of Private Claims, which shed light on the effects of the pandemic on privately insured dental services in the first six months of 2020. One finding was that use of dental services fell 75 percent in March 2020 and 79 percent in April 2020 compared to the same months in 2019.
“FAIR Health Study Reveals Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Dental Services,” American Journal of Managed Care, September 17, 2020.
This article discusses results from FAIR Health’s brief entitled Dental Services and the Impact of COVID-19: An Analysis of Private Claims.
“Telehealth Claim Lines Increased 4132% Nationally from June 2019 to June 2020,” American Journal of Managed Care, September 3, 2020.
As shown in this article, telehealth claim lines increased 4,132 percent nationally from June 2019 to June 2020, rising from 0.16 percent of medical claim lines in June 2019 to 6.85 percent in June 2020. The source of these data is FAIR Health’s Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker.
“Telehealth Growth in May Rises Year to Year, but Drops Month to Month,” American Journal of Managed Care, August 6, 2020.
This article reports that telehealth claim lines increased 5,680 percent nationally from 0.15 percent of medical claim lines in May 2019 to 8.69 percent in May 2020, according to new data from FAIR Health’s Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker. That increase was less than the year-to-year increase the previous month, when telehealth claim lines increased 8,336 percent nationally from 0.15 percent of medical claim lines in April 2019 to 13.00 percent in April 2020.
“Profiles of COVID-19 Patients: A Study of Private Health Care Claims,” American Journal of Managed Care, July 15, 2020.
The findings of FAIR Health’s fourth COVID-19 study, Key Characteristics of COVID-19 Patients: Profiles Based on Analysis of Private Healthcare Claims, are presented in this article. FAIR Health data show that nationally and in every US census region, chronic kidney disease and kidney failure were the most common comorbidity in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, accounting for 13 percent of all such patients in the period January-May 2020.
“Telehealth Continues Rapid Growth Tied to COVID-19,” U.S. News & World Report, July 13, 2020.
This article relates that use of telehealth services continued to grow as COVID-19 spread across the nation from March to April 2020, as shown by FAIR Health's Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker. According to the tracker, telehealth claim lines increased 8,336 percent nationally, from 0.15 percent of medical claim lines in April 2019 to 13 percent in April 2020.
“Telehealth Growth in April Suggests Continuing Impact of COVID-19,” American Journal of Managed Care, July 7, 2020.
As reported in this article, claims data from FAIR Health’s Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker show that the explosive growth of telehealth seen in March 2020 continued unabated in April.
“Examining the State of Telehealth during the COVID-19 Pandemic,” United Hospital Fund, June 29, 2020.
This article announces the release of FAIR Health’s Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker, a new, interactive feature on the FAIR Health website. The Telehealth Tracker is intended to help illuminate the state of telehealth, which has played a critical role during the COVID-19 pandemic, on a monthly basis.
“Health Care Professionals and the Impact of COVID-19: A Comparative Study of Revenue and Utilization,” American Journal of Managed Care, June 11, 2020.
This article reports results from FAIR Health’s third COVID-19 study, Healthcare Professionals and the Impact of COVID-19: A Comparative Study of Revenue and Utilization. In April 2020, healthcare professional services declined 68 percent in utilization and 48 percent in revenue based on total estimated in-network amounts compared to April 2019 nationally. In the Northeast, professionals experienced particularly sharp drops in utilization (80 percent) and revenue (79 percent).
“The Coronavirus Pandemic and the Transformation of Telehealth,” U.S. News & World Report, June 2, 2020.
In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic was escalating rapidly in the United States. This article reports new data from FAIR Health showing that the expected growth of telehealth emerged during that time. According to FAIR Health's Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker, the volume of telehealth claim lines increased 4,347 percent nationally, from 0.17 percent of medical claim lines in March 2019 to 7.52 percent in March 2020.
“FAIR Health Analysis: COVID-19 Hits Health System Revenues Harder in Northeast,” American Journal of Managed Care, May 18, 2020.
This article reports FAIR Health’s findings on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on health system revenues in the Northeast, noting that by mid-March 2020, large hospitals in the Northeast experienced a 26 percent decline in average per-facility revenues based on estimated in-network amounts as compared to the same period in 2019. Nationwide, the decrease in revenue for large hospitals was 16 percent.
“How Major Life Events Can Affect Your Health Insurance Planning,” Employee Benefit Advisor, May 8, 2020.
This article discusses the kinds of life events (e.g., getting married or having a baby) that may give individuals a chance to make changes in their health insurance. It notes that individuals may need to document those events and describes the kinds of choices that may need to be made when those events happen or are about to happen.
“Using Telehealth to Respond to Coronavirus Concerns,” Employee Benefit News, April 13, 2020.
In this article, FAIR Health offers findings from two new publications. One is the third annual edition of the FH® Healthcare Indicators and FH® Medical Price Index white paper, which examines trends and patterns in healthcare places of service. The other is FAIR Health’s March 25, 2020, brief entitled COVID-19: The Projected Economic Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the US Healthcare System.
“Usage of Telehealth and Retail Clinics Grew from 2017 to 2018 While That of EDs, ASCs, and Urgent Care Declined,” American Journal of Managed Care, April 1, 2020.
This article communicates the new findings from FAIR Health’s FH Healthcare Indicators and FH Medical Price Index white paper that from 2017 to 2018, telehealth use grew 12 percent and use of retail clinics grew 10 percent. Use of urgent care centers, ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) and emergency departments (EDs), however, declined.
“Help with Difficult Medical Decisions,” U.S. News & World Report, March 23, 2020.
As described in this article, FAIR Health is launching a new tool, available on fairhealthconsumer.org, that offers aid to palliative care patients and their caregivers who need to make difficult medical decisions. This pilot project combines cost data for three palliative care scenarios with decision aids.
“FAIR Health Launches Shared Decision-Making Tools for Palliative Care,” American Journal of Managed Care, March 10, 2020.
The article announces the launch of FAIR Health’s groundbreaking shared decision-making (SDM) website feature. This innovative tool combines clinical and cost information to support seriously and chronically ill patients and their caregivers in the process of SDM with clinicians for three palliative care scenarios.
“STDs on the Rise: The Evidence of Insurance Claims,” U.S. News & World Report, February 11, 2020.
This article discusses FAIR Health’s study of trends and patterns in diagnoses of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). One finding was that from 2007 to 2018, claim lines with STD diagnoses, as a percentage of all medical claim lines, increased nationally 76 percent. The increase was greater in rural areas (98 percent) than in urban areas (77 percent).
“Private Insurance Claim Lines for STDs Rose 76% from 2007 to 2018,” American Journal of Managed Care, February 11, 2020.
This article highlights findings from the new FAIR Health study of STDs, which was released in the form of an infographic.
“Using States as Living Laboratories to Solve Surprise Medical Billing,” STAT, January 15, 2020.
This article examines how four states—New York, Connecticut, New Mexico and Texas—are seeking to address surprise billing. The four states have adopted strategies making use of data from FAIR Health, though each has elected to use the data in different ways.