Telehealth statistics 2026: who uses it, Medicare trends, satisfaction and prescribing rules

of US adults used telemedicine in the past 12 months in 2021¹

From the 2021 National Health Interview Survey.

of women used telemedicine in 2021, compared with 31.7% of men¹

of adults 65 and older used telemedicine in 2021, compared with 29.4% of adults ages 18 to 29¹

of adults in noncore (most rural) counties used telemedicine in 2021, compared with 40.3% in large central metro counties¹

of US adults reported using telehealth in the past 12 months in 2022²

18.5% used video only, 12.1% telephone only and 8.7% both. HINTS 6 data collected March to November 2022.

of adults with a recent telehealth visit said it was for a minor illness or acute care, while 14.8% said it was for mental health, behavioral or substance use issues (2022)²

20.1% said it was for managing a chronic condition.

of telehealth-eligible Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries used telehealth in 2025³

That is 6,400,135 beneficiaries. CMS Medicare Telehealth Trends data.

of telehealth-eligible Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries used telehealth in 2020, the peak year³

of eligible Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries used telehealth in the fourth quarter of 2025, down from 12.94% in the third quarter³

CMS says Medicare telehealth flexibilities temporarily lapsed during the government shutdown that began October 1, 2025, and were later applied retroactively.

of rural Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries used telehealth in 2025, compared with 24.74% of urban beneficiaries³

of Medicare beneficiaries entitled through disability used telehealth in 2025, compared with 21.92% of those entitled by age³

Medicare beneficiaries, more than 2 in 5, used telehealth in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020 to February 2021)⁴

OIG found beneficiaries used telehealth 88 times more than in the prior year.

of Medicare behavioral health services were delivered via telehealth in the first year of the pandemic, compared with 13% of office visits⁴

of US adults with a telehealth visit felt their telehealth visits were as good as in-person care⁵

Based on 2,058 adults in HINTS 6 (2022). No significant differences in satisfaction were found by sociodemographic group or visit type.

of adults with a telehealth visit in 2022 had an audio-video visit, and 30% had an audio-only visit⁵

Press Ganey satisfaction score for video visits, compared with 92.5% for in-person visits, at a New York academic center in 2020⁶

Based on 38,609 surveys (620 video visits) at Weill Cornell Medicine.

of telehealth users cited convenience as a reason for their visit in 2022, and 72.7% cited a provider requirement or recommendation²

of adults who were offered telehealth but did not use it cited a preference for in-person care (2022)²

19.0% cited difficulty using the technology and 16.4% cited privacy concerns. Only 17.0% of non-users had been offered a telehealth visit.

of stimulant prescriptions came from a telehealth visit in 2022, up from 1.4% in 2019⁷

Trilliant Health national all-payer claims data. The telehealth share peaked at 51.8% in Q2 2020.

of antidepressant prescriptions came from a telehealth visit in 2022, up from 1.5% in 2019⁷

The telehealth share peaked at 46.7% in Q2 2020.

of opioid prescriptions came from a telehealth visit in 2022, after peaking at 24.1% in Q2 2020⁷

of Medicare beneficiaries with opioid use disorder in the pandemic cohort received OUD-related telehealth services, compared with 0.6% before the pandemic⁸

Cohorts ran from September 2019 to February 2021 and September 2018 to February 2020.

adjusted odds ratio for medically treated overdose among Medicare beneficiaries who received OUD-related telehealth, compared with those who did not⁸

Telehealth receipt was also associated with better medication retention (aOR 1.27).

adjusted odds ratio for fatal drug overdose among Medicare beneficiaries receiving OUD-related telehealth during the pandemic⁹

is the end date of the DEA and HHS fourth temporary extension of telemedicine flexibilities for prescribing controlled medications¹⁰

The rule took effect January 1, 2026. It continues to allow prescribing without a prior in-person medical evaluation.

public comments were submitted on DEA's two 2023 telemedicine proposed rules¹¹

35,454 on the general telemedicine proposal and 2,915 on the buprenorphine proposal.

proposed fee for each of the three types of DEA special registration for telemedicine¹¹

Proposed in January 2025. The proposal also defined a local in-person practice as one where less than 50% of controlled substance prescriptions are issued via telemedicine in a month.

initial supply of buprenorphine for opioid use disorder that can be prescribed via audio-only telemedicine under a DEA final rule¹²

The supply is split across several prescriptions, and the prescriber must review state prescription drug monitoring program data first.

effective date of the DEA buprenorphine telemedicine and VA continuity-of-care final rules after two delays¹³

The rules were originally due to take effect February 18, 2025.

is the date through which Medicare beneficiaries can receive telehealth services anywhere in the United States¹⁴

Starting January 1, 2028, except for behavioral health, beneficiaries will generally need to be in a medical facility in a rural area.