Oakland, CA – The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California (WCIRB) has released a new report that reviews the characteristics of telehealth services provided in the California workers’ compensation system and how claims involving telehealth services compare to those involving only in-person medical services.
Key findings in the report include:
- Use of telehealth services increased sharply during the early months of the pandemic, driving up the share of telehealth payments. Despite a gradual decline of telehealth service utilization in subsequent quarters, the overall usage and payments for telehealth services remained significantly higher in 2021 and 2022 than during the pre-pandemic period.
- The increased utilization of telehealth services is mainly concentrated in evaluation and management (E/M) services, which account for over 80 percent of all telehealth services provided during the pandemic.
- Psychotherapies and psychiatric services have the highest share of services provided via telehealth. Claims involving mental and behavioral disorders are also more likely to use telehealth services
- Compared to claims with in-person services only, claims with telehealth services are more likely to be indemnity claims and are more common among somewhat younger injured workers and workers in the retail and health industries.
Read the full report: WCIRB CA: Telehealth Services in the California Workers’ Compensation System (PDF)
WCIRB Research Forum Webinar
The WCIRB also hosted a free webinar to discuss the Telehealth Services in the California Workers’ Compensation System report.
The number of telehealth visits has seen an uptick since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, and presenters discussed characteristics of telehealth services, as well as claims involving telehealth services, in the California workers’ compensation system.
A recording is available here: CA WCIRB Research Forum Webinar: Telehealth Services in the California Workers’ Compensation System
Source: CA WCIRB