In the first quarter of 2026, 52.1% of commercially insured patients with a telehealth claim received a mental health diagnosis, making behavioral health the single most common reason Americans see a clinician virtually (FAIR Health, Quarterly Telehealth Regional Tracker 2026). The share of patients with at least one telehealth claim rose to 18.4% nationally that quarter, up 6.3% from the prior one (FAIR Health, 2026). The global telehealth market reached an estimated $153.84 billion in 2025 and is projected at $191.88 billion for 2026 (Towards Healthcare, Telehealth Market Sizing 2026). Yet only 10.8% of eligible Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries used telehealth in Q2 2025, a share that has held flat since the pandemic and remains legally tied to expiring Congressional waivers (CMS Medicare Telehealth Trends; Urban Institute, 2025). This analysis consolidates data from FAIR Health, CMS, the AMA, J.D. Power, and 15 other primary sources into a single telehealth statistics 2026 reference.
TL;DR
- 18.4% of commercially insured patients had a telehealth claim in Q1 2026, up 6.3% quarter-over-quarter (FAIR Health, Quarterly Telehealth Regional Tracker 2026).
- Mental health was the top telehealth diagnosis in every age group, at 52.1% of patients nationally in Q1 2026 (FAIR Health, 2026).
- The global telehealth market is estimated at $191.88 billion for 2026, projected to reach $1,402.1 billion by 2035 (Towards Healthcare, 2026).
- 10.8% of roughly 19 million eligible Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries used telehealth in Q2 2025 (CMS / Urban Institute, 2025).
- 71.4% of physicians used telehealth in 2024, up from 25.1% in 2018 (AMA, Physician Practice Benchmark Survey).
- 85.9% of psychiatrists provided a video visit in the prior week, the highest of any specialty (AMA).
- Behavioral health made up roughly 66% of telehealth volume in 2024, up from 18% in 2018 (Trilliant Health).
- Direct-to-consumer telehealth scored 730 of 1,000 on patient satisfaction (J.D. Power, 2024 U.S. Telehealth Satisfaction Study).
- 2.9 million veterans used VA telehealth across 14.6 million episodes of care in fiscal 2025, up 10% year over year (VA).
- Rural patients trailed urban ones on telehealth use in Q1 2026, 10.3% versus 18.6%, but rural growth (7.8%) outpaced urban (6.2%) (FAIR Health, 2026).
- 56.5% of adults 65 and older used audio-only rather than video telehealth visits (ASPE, 2021).
- Medicare telehealth waivers lapsed on October 1, 2025 during a 43-day shutdown and were extended only through January 30, 2026 (APTA, 2025).
1. Market Size and Growth Forecasts
Telehealth market projections carry a wide spread, so the direction matters more than any single number. Analysts agree on strong double-digit growth, but 2035 endpoints range from roughly $807 billion to over $1.4 trillion depending on definitions and included segments. The global telehealth market is estimated at $191.88 billion for 2026, up from $153.84 billion in 2025 (Towards Healthcare, Telehealth Market Sizing 2026). The services segment and teleconsultation applications hold the largest revenue shares, reflecting that most telehealth spend still flows to live provider visits rather than devices or platforms.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Global telehealth market, 2025 | $153.84 billion | Towards Healthcare, Telehealth Market Sizing 2026 |
| Global telehealth market, 2026 | $191.88 billion | Towards Healthcare, 2026 |
| Global telehealth market, 2035 (projected) | $1,402.1 billion at 24.73% CAGR | Towards Healthcare, 2026 |
| U.S. telehealth market, 2025 to 2026 | $52.77B to $65.35 billion | Towards Healthcare, U.S. Telehealth Market Sizing 2026 |
| U.S. telehealth market, 2035 (projected) | $447.69 billion at 23.84% CAGR | Towards Healthcare, 2026 |
| Global telemedicine market, 2026 (alt. estimate) | $188.93 billion, 17.55% CAGR to 2035 | Precedence Research, Telemedicine Market 2026 |
| Global telemedicine market, 2034 (alt. estimate) | $219.31 billion at 24.60% CAGR | Fortune Business Insights, Telemedicine Market |
| Services segment share of market, 2025 | ~52% (teleconsultation ~44% of revenue) | Towards Healthcare, 2026 |
Divergence note: these are private research-firm estimates with differing scopes (telehealth vs. telemedicine, hardware inclusion, geography), so treat them as directional. See the underlying telehealth market sizing methodology before quoting any single figure.
2. Utilization: Who Uses Telehealth and How Much
Utilization has settled into a durable plateau far above pre-pandemic levels but well below the 2020 peak. The FAIR Health Telehealth Regional Tracker, drawn from a commercial claims database of more than 50 billion records, is the most granular public read on commercially insured use. Telehealth accounted for 5.51% of all medical claim lines in Q1 2026, up 10.1% from 5.01% the prior quarter (FAIR Health, Quarterly Telehealth Regional Tracker 2026). McKinsey’s widely cited framing that use stabilized at roughly 38 times pre-pandemic levels still anchors the long-run picture, even as national survey data show general adoption easing from its 2021 high.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Patients with a telehealth claim, Q1 2026 | 18.4% (up 6.3% from 17.3%) | FAIR Health, Quarterly Telehealth Regional Tracker 2026 |
| Telehealth as share of medical claim lines, Q1 2026 | 5.51% (up 10.1% from 5.01%) | FAIR Health, 2026 |
| Urban vs. rural patients with a telehealth claim, Q1 2026 | 18.6% vs. 10.3% | FAIR Health, 2026 |
| Rural vs. urban utilization growth, Q4 2025 to Q1 2026 | 7.8% vs. 6.2% | FAIR Health, 2026 |
| Telehealth use stabilized at | ~38x pre-pandemic; 13-17% of visits | McKinsey, 2021 (most recent framing) |
| U.S. adults using telemedicine, past 12 months | 37.0% | CDC/NCHS, NHSR (2021 data, most recent NHIS) |
| Telemedicine use among adults, 2021 to 2022 | 34.1% to 28.2% | CDC/NCHS, NHSR 2024 |
| Older adults using telehealth in the last year | 46.1% | Frontiers in Medicine, 2025 |
Context: the CDC/NCHS National Health Interview Survey figures are the most recent nationally representative estimates available and predate the current claims-based trackers; flag them as 2021-2022 data. Video telehealth sits at the intersection of clinical care and the broader shift documented in our video conferencing statistics 2026 roundup.
3. Mental and Behavioral Health Dominance
No trend in telehealth is clearer than behavioral health’s takeover of the modality. Mental health conditions now rank first among telehealth diagnoses in every U.S. region and every age band, from young children to seniors. Behavioral health accounted for roughly 66% of telehealth volume in 2024, up from just 18% in 2018 (Trilliant Health, Trends Shaping the Health Economy: Telehealth). The pattern signals that patients treat telehealth as a substitute for in-person care mainly for therapy and psychiatry, while returning to the office for most physical conditions.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Telehealth patients with a mental health diagnosis, Q1 2026 | 52.1% | FAIR Health, Quarterly Telehealth Regional Tracker 2026 |
| Mental health share, children 0-9 vs. adults 65+, Q1 2026 | 26.9% vs. 22.0% | FAIR Health, 2026 |
| Mental health share of telehealth patients, Jan 2025 | 58.5% (regional range 53.1% to 65.0%) | FAIR Health, 2025 |
| Behavioral health share of telehealth volume, 2024 | ~66% (up from 18% in 2018) | Trilliant Health, Telehealth Trends |
| Psychiatrists who provided a video visit in the prior week | 85.9% | AMA, Policy Research Perspectives |
| Psychiatrists using video for over 20% of weekly visits | 56.9% | AMA, Policy Research Perspectives |
Outlier note: even as overall telehealth utilization plateaus, behavioral health continues to climb its share of the total. See Trilliant Health’s telehealth trends analysis. This concentration mirrors demand patterns in our sibling AI in healthcare statistics 2026 report.
4. Physician and Provider Adoption
Provider-side adoption has normalized into a stable feature of practice, but it splits hard along specialty and ownership lines. In 2024, 71.4% of physicians reported using telehealth, up from 25.1% in 2018 but below the 79% peak in 2020 (AMA, Physician Practice Benchmark Survey). Hospital-owned practices out-adopt private practices, and the gap between psychiatry and surgery is the widest in medicine, tracking exactly with where telehealth clinically fits.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Physicians using telehealth, 2024 | 71.4% (vs. 25.1% in 2018, 79% in 2020) | AMA, Physician Practice Benchmark Survey |
| Physicians in practices that offer telehealth | 74% | AMA, 2024 |
| Telehealth use, private practice vs. hospital-owned | 68.4% vs. 79.7% | AMA, 2024 |
| Video visit in prior week: primary care / specialists / surgeons | 66.8% / 64.3% / 45.3% | AMA, Policy Research Perspectives |
| Hospital telehealth adoption, 2018 to 2022 | 72.6% to 86.9% | AHA Annual Survey |
| Telehealth vs. in-person diagnoses that match | ~90% | AMA / Epic Research |
| Physicians viewing telehealth more favorably than pre-COVID | 58% | McKinsey, 2021 |
Context: an Epic study of 35 million records found that for most telehealth visits across 33 specialties, no in-person follow-up was needed within 90 days. See the AMA’s reporting on how telehealth use varies by physician specialty.
5. Medicare and the Policy Cliff
Medicare telehealth is the policy fault line of the entire sector, because its pandemic-era flexibilities are temporary and must be renewed by Congress. Only about 2 million of roughly 19 million eligible Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries, or 10.8%, used telehealth in Q2 2025, a rate that has barely moved since the pandemic (CMS Medicare Telehealth Trends; Urban Institute, 2025). Take-up more than doubles among low-income dual-eligibles and varies fourfold across states, underscoring how coverage rules, not just patient preference, drive access.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Eligible Medicare FFS beneficiaries, Q2 2025 | ~19 million | CMS / Urban Institute, 2025 |
| Used telehealth, Q2 2025 | ~2 million (10.8% take-up) | CMS / Urban Institute, 2025 |
| Take-up including dual Medicare-Medicaid enrollees | 2.7M of 22M eligible (12.5%) | Urban Institute, 2025 |
| Take-up rate among dual-eligibles | 22% | Urban Institute, 2025 |
| Highest state usage: California / DC / Massachusetts | 24.2% / 20.8% / 19.6% | CMS / Urban Institute, 2025 |
| Lowest state usage: Iowa / Alabama | 5.0% / 5.2% | CMS / Urban Institute, 2025 |
| Highest usage by race/ethnicity (Hispanic beneficiaries) | 16.7% | CMS / Urban Institute, 2025 |
| Pre-pandemic Medicare telehealth use, early 2020 | ~7% | Urban Institute, 2025 |
Policy note: Medicare telehealth waivers, including home-based and audio-only allowances, lapsed on October 1, 2025 amid the 43-day government shutdown, then were extended only through January 30, 2026, retroactive to September 30 (APTA, 2025). Read the Urban Institute analysis on why permanent expansion remains unresolved. The stop-start funding cycle affects roughly the same distributed, work-from-anywhere care model covered in our remote work statistics 2026 roundup.
6. Patient Satisfaction and Outcomes
Patients rate telehealth well for convenience, but scores separate cleanly by provider type, delivery mode, and population. Direct-to-consumer telehealth scored 730 out of 1,000 on patient satisfaction, while payer-provided offerings scored 708, up 18 points year over year (J.D. Power, 2024 U.S. Telehealth Satisfaction Study). Government-run programs post the strongest marks: more than nine in ten veterans reported satisfaction with VA video visits, and outcome studies show telehealth measurably reduces appointment no-shows.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Direct-to-consumer telehealth satisfaction | 730 / 1,000 | J.D. Power, 2024 U.S. Telehealth Satisfaction Study |
| Payer-provided telehealth satisfaction | 708 (up 18 points YoY) | J.D. Power, 2024 |
| Veterans using VA telehealth, fiscal 2025 | 2.9M across 14.6M episodes (+10% YoY) | VA, 2025 |
| VA Video Connect video visits, fiscal 2025 | 11.7 million to 2.1 million veterans | VA, 2025 |
| Veterans satisfied with VA video telehealth | 92.9% (92.2% reported trust) | VA, 2025 |
| Chronic-disease patients satisfied with telehealth | 62.9% | JMIR/PMC cross-sectional study, 2025 |
| Telehealth non-attendance vs. in-person (odds ratio) | OR 0.61 (lower no-show risk) | Meta-analysis, PubMed 2025 |
| Estimated cost savings per telemedicine visit | $19 to $120 | HealthLeaders Media (earlier study) |
Context: audio-only visits are consistently associated with lower likelihood to recommend and worse experience on technical measures versus video. The per-visit savings range is an older reference; flag it accordingly. Full satisfaction detail is in the J.D. Power telehealth study.
7. Access, Equity, and the Audio-Only Divide
Telehealth’s access story cuts both ways: it removes travel barriers while introducing new digital ones. Audio-only visits are the clearest equity lever, since they reach patients without broadband, video-capable devices, or the confidence to use them. 56.5% of adults 65 and older used audio-only rather than video visits, and over 26% of Medicare beneficiaries lacked a computer or smartphone at home (ASPE, 2021). Because a phone visit carries the entire consultation through sound alone, connection quality and clear speech matter more on audio-only calls than on video, a general reason clear-audio and noise-suppression tools such as VoxBooster exist for everyday calls and streams.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Adults 65+ who used audio-only visits | 56.5% | ASPE (HHS), 2021 |
| Medicare beneficiaries lacking a computer or smartphone at home | over 26% | ASPE (HHS), 2021 |
| Rural vs. urban Americans lacking broadband | 22% vs. 1.5% | FCC (via AHA) |
| Adults 65+ who do not use the internet | 10% | Frontiers in Medicine, 2025 |
| Adults 65+ lacking home broadband | 35% | Frontiers in Medicine, 2025 |
| Non-users deemed unable to interact over video | 27% | Frontiers in Medicine, 2025 |
| Patients who received telehealth from home, 2020 | 92% | ASPE (HHS) |
| Audio-only added to interactive telecommunications definition | 2025 Physician Fee Schedule (permanent) | CMS, 2025 |
Equity note: several ASPE figures date to 2021 and are the most recent public estimates of device access; flag them as such. The 2025 Physician Fee Schedule permanently recognized audio-only for any telehealth service, though Medicare payment for non-behavioral audio-only visits still hinges on the same expiring waivers. See the AHA telehealth fact sheet for the underlying access data.
Summary: Telehealth by the Numbers
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Patients with a telehealth claim, Q1 2026 | 18.4% (up 6.3% QoQ) | FAIR Health, 2026 |
| Telehealth share of medical claim lines, Q1 2026 | 5.51% | FAIR Health, 2026 |
| Telehealth patients with a mental health diagnosis, Q1 2026 | 52.1% | FAIR Health, 2026 |
| Behavioral health share of telehealth volume, 2024 | ~66% (from 18% in 2018) | Trilliant Health |
| Global telehealth market, 2026 | $191.88 billion | Towards Healthcare, 2026 |
| Global telehealth market, 2035 (projected) | $1,402.1 billion (24.73% CAGR) | Towards Healthcare, 2026 |
| U.S. telehealth market, 2026 | $65.35 billion | Towards Healthcare, 2026 |
| Medicare FFS telehealth take-up, Q2 2025 | 10.8% of ~19M eligible | CMS / Urban Institute, 2025 |
| Dual-eligible telehealth take-up, Q2 2025 | 22% | Urban Institute, 2025 |
| Physicians using telehealth, 2024 | 71.4% | AMA |
| Psychiatrists with a video visit in prior week | 85.9% | AMA |
| Hospital telehealth adoption, 2022 | 86.9% | AHA Annual Survey |
| Direct-to-consumer telehealth satisfaction | 730 / 1,000 | J.D. Power, 2024 |
| Veterans using VA telehealth, fiscal 2025 | 2.9M / 14.6M episodes | VA, 2025 |
| Veterans satisfied with VA video telehealth | 92.9% | VA, 2025 |
| Rural vs. urban patients with a telehealth claim, Q1 2026 | 10.3% vs. 18.6% | FAIR Health, 2026 |
| Adults 65+ who used audio-only visits | 56.5% | ASPE, 2021 |
| U.S. telemedicine market, alt. 2026 estimate | $188.93 billion | Precedence Research |
| Medicare telehealth waivers extended through | January 30, 2026 | APTA, 2025 |
Methodology and Sources
Data was gathered by aggregating figures directly from primary reports, government datasets, claims trackers, and named survey publications, cross-referencing market and utilization numbers across multiple sources and flagging estimates older than 2024. Every statistic above was verified against the cited source during research.
Sources cited:
- FAIR Health, Monthly and Quarterly Telehealth Regional Tracker, 2025-2026 (Q1 2026 release; tracker home)
- CMS, Medicare Telehealth Trends Report, 2025 (data.cms.gov)
- Urban Institute, analysis of CMS Medicare Telehealth Trends (Q2 2025) (urban.org)
- American Medical Association (AMA), Physician Practice Benchmark Survey and Policy Research Perspectives, 2024 (ama-assn.org)
- American Hospital Association (AHA), Fact Sheet: Telehealth, 2025 (aha.org)
- J.D. Power, 2024 U.S. Telehealth Satisfaction Study (jdpower.com)
- Trilliant Health, Trends Shaping the Health Economy: Telehealth (trillianthealth.com)
- McKinsey and Company, Telehealth: A quarter-trillion-dollar post-COVID-19 reality?, 2021
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), telehealth fiscal 2025 reporting (news.va.gov)
- Towards Healthcare, Telehealth and U.S. Telehealth Market Sizing, 2026 (towardshealthcare.com)
- Precedence Research, Telemedicine Market, 2026
- Fortune Business Insights, Telemedicine Market
- ASPE (HHS), Household Pulse Survey telehealth briefs, 2021
- CDC / NCHS, National Health Statistics Reports (2021-2022 data)
- Frontiers in Medicine, addressing barriers to equitable telehealth for older adults, 2025
- FCC, rural broadband access data (via AHA)
- HealthLeaders Media, telemedicine cost-savings estimate
- APTA, Medicare telehealth flexibilities extension, 2025 (apta.org)
- PubMed meta-analysis of telehealth vs. in-person no-show rates, 2025
Data watch: FAIR Health updates its Telehealth Regional Tracker monthly and now quarterly, with the next quarterly edition covering Q2 2026 expected in the second half of 2026. CMS refreshes its Medicare Telehealth Trends Report on a rolling quarterly basis. The AMA Physician Practice Benchmark Survey runs on a roughly biennial cycle, J.D. Power publishes its telehealth and healthcare digital experience studies annually, Trilliant Health issues its Trends Shaping the Health Economy report each year, and the VA reports telehealth volumes by fiscal year. Congressional action on Medicare telehealth waivers past January 30, 2026 is the single most important data point to watch.
Last updated: July 10, 2026. We review and update this page quarterly as new data is published.