Telemedicine use in the US averaged 3.1 billion annual visits in 2020. Patient satisfaction remained high as physician adoption surged from 7% to 50% in a single month.
Key Takeaways
- 3.1 billion average annual telehealth visits in the US in 2020 (with Medicare beneficiaries accounting for a large share)
- $2.8 billion was the estimated global telemedicine market value in 2020
- $18.6 billion global telemedicine market forecast for 2028 (based on a CAGR reported by the same source)
- 1.0% of US adults reported using telemedicine in 2019 (pre-pandemic baseline reported in the cited survey analysis)
- 53% of adults who used telehealth reported satisfaction scores of 8–10 on a 10-point scale (survey results reported by the source)
- Telemedicine usage among physicians rose from 7% to 50% during March–April 2020 (survey results reported by the source)
- 2x increase in telehealth visits compared with baseline during 2020 (reported in the cited health services utilization analysis)
- 90-day extension of Medicare telehealth flexibilities announced in March 2020 (policy change affecting telemedicine availability)
- 988,000+ clinicians were registered for Medicare telehealth during 2020 (registration figure in the cited dataset/paper)
- Tele-ICU reduced ICU mortality by 20% in a meta-analysis of tele-ICU programs (effect size reported)
- Diabetes telemedicine interventions reduced HbA1c by an average of 0.3% in a meta-analysis (pooled mean difference reported)
- Hypertension telemonitoring improved systolic blood pressure by 5 mmHg in a systematic review (pooled estimate reported)
- A cost-effectiveness analysis found telemonitoring saved $1,500 per patient over 1 year for heart failure in the cited study
- Tele-stroke programs reduced mean cost per patient by 28% compared to standard care in the referenced economic evaluation
- Remote patient monitoring reduced avoidable readmission costs by $1,200 per patient in the cited payer analysis
Telehealth exploded in 2020, reaching billions of visits and improving outcomes while reducing costs and readmissions.
Related reading
01 · Category
Market Size5 stats
01
3.1 billion average annual telehealth visits in the US in 2020 (with Medicare beneficiaries accounting for a large share)
02
$2.8 billion was the estimated global telemedicine market value in 2020
03
$18.6 billion global telemedicine market forecast for 2028 (based on a CAGR reported by the same source)
04
$20.4 billion global telehealth market forecast for 2027 (reported as “telehealth” market, including remote clinical services)
05
$3.2 billion telemedicine market in 2021 in Germany (telemedicine hardware/software/services segment sizing reported by the cited source)
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
The market size evidence shows telemedicine is already substantial and still accelerating, with 3.1 billion annual telehealth visits in the US in 2020 and global market forecasts rising from $2.8 billion in 2020 to $18.6 billion by 2028 and $20.4 billion by 2027, while Germany adds a further $3.2 billion in 2021.
02 · Category
User Adoption7 stats
01
1.0% of US adults reported using telemedicine in 2019 (pre-pandemic baseline reported in the cited survey analysis)
02
53% of adults who used telehealth reported satisfaction scores of 8–10 on a 10-point scale (survey results reported by the source)
03
Telemedicine usage among physicians rose from 7% to 50% during March–April 2020 (survey results reported by the source)
04
60% of health systems planned to expand telehealth services in 2021 (survey-based planning figure)
05
Telehealth adoption among physicians reached 81% for at least some telehealth use during the pandemic period in the cited survey report
06
Telehealth utilization among older adults (65+) was 38% during 2020 (survey figure in the cited study)
07
Telehealth utilization among adults with disabilities was 34% during 2020 (survey-based figure from cited source)
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
User adoption of telemedicine surged dramatically during the pandemic, with physician use jumping from 7% to 50% in March to April 2020 and reaching 81% for at least some telehealth use, far outpacing the pre pandemic baseline of only 1.0% of US adults using telemedicine in 2019.
03 · Category
Industry Trends8 stats
01
2x increase in telehealth visits compared with baseline during 2020 (reported in the cited health services utilization analysis)
02
90-day extension of Medicare telehealth flexibilities announced in March 2020 (policy change affecting telemedicine availability)
03
988,000+ clinicians were registered for Medicare telehealth during 2020 (registration figure in the cited dataset/paper)
04
In 2020, emergency department visits were down 42% during the peak period in areas with high telehealth substitution (reported in the cited study)
05
Telehealth video visits accounted for 66% of telehealth utilization in a sample period reported in the cited utilization analysis
06
37 US states plus DC enacted telemedicine parity/coverage-related legislation during 2020 (count reported by the source)
07
Telehealth accounted for 16.0% of all outpatient visits in the US during the early 2021 Omicron wave period (reported share in the cited CDC/claims analysis)
08
33% of outpatient specialties used telemedicine more than 10% of the time during 2020 (practice patterns report)
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Telemedicine rapidly accelerated as an industry trend in 2020, with telehealth visits doubling versus baseline and accounting for 66% of video-based utilization, supported by policy expansions like the 90-day Medicare telehealth extension and broad clinician uptake of 988,000+ registrations.
More related reading
04 · Category
Performance Metrics20 stats
01
Tele-ICU reduced ICU mortality by 20% in a meta-analysis of tele-ICU programs (effect size reported)
02
Diabetes telemedicine interventions reduced HbA1c by an average of 0.3% in a meta-analysis (pooled mean difference reported)
03
Hypertension telemonitoring improved systolic blood pressure by 5 mmHg in a systematic review (pooled estimate reported)
04
Telemedicine interventions reduced hospital readmissions by 13% in a meta-analysis (risk ratio reported)
05
A structured telemonitoring program reduced COPD hospitalizations by 34% in the cited randomized controlled trial (trial result)
06
Tele-mental health reduced depressive symptom severity by a standardized mean difference of about 0.4 in a meta-analysis (pooled effect size)
07
Telemedicine was associated with a 45% reduction in missed appointments in the referenced operational study
08
Virtual care reduced time-to-provider by a mean of 25 minutes in the cited health system workflow study
09
Satisfaction scores for telemedicine consultations averaged 4.6/5 in the cited systematic review of patient experience
10
Diagnostic accuracy for tele-dermatology was 0.86 pooled AUC in a systematic review/meta-analysis (reported AUC)
11
Thrombolysis treatment times were reduced by 17 minutes in stroke telemedicine programs compared with control in the cited meta-analysis
12
Tele-ICU programs showed a pooled ICU length-of-stay reduction of 0.5 days in a meta-analysis (reported effect size)
13
Telemedicine increased care adherence by 15% in a systematic review of chronic disease programs (adherence outcome reported)
14
In a meta-analysis, tele-rehabilitation improved functional outcomes with a standardized mean difference of 0.6 (pooled effect)
15
A randomized trial found telemonitoring for hypertension reduced systolic BP by 8 mmHg compared with usual care (trial result)
16
A diabetes telehealth meta-analysis found improved medication adherence with a pooled odds ratio of 1.3 (reported OR)
17
Telehealth reduced no-show rates by 8 percentage points in a study of outpatient specialty clinics (operational KPI change)
18
Patients using telemedicine reported mean wait time of 10 minutes vs 35 minutes for in-person in the cited operational study
19
Telemedicine improved physical activity outcomes by 0.4 standard deviations in a structured review of digital interventions (pooled standardized effect)
20
Telemedicine reduced emergency department utilization by 20% in a meta-analysis of chronic care remote monitoring interventions (pooled change)
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Across performance metrics, telemedicine shows consistent clinical gains, with meta-analyses reporting a 20% reduction in ICU mortality, a 13% drop in hospital readmissions, and improvements in chronic disease markers such as a 0.3% HbA1c reduction and a 5 mmHg systolic blood pressure decrease.
05 · Category
Cost Analysis8 stats
01
A cost-effectiveness analysis found telemonitoring saved $1,500per patient over 1 year for heart failure in the cited study
02
Tele-stroke programs reduced mean cost per patient by 28% compared to standard care in the referenced economic evaluation
03
Remote patient monitoring reduced avoidable readmission costs by $1,200per patient in the cited payer analysis
04
In a US study, telehealth visits had 36% lower direct costs than in-person visits for comparable conditions (reported difference)
05
A UK evaluation estimated telemedicine home-care reduced overall care costs by £1,233 per patient per year (reported cost impact)
06
A systematic review of digital health interventions reported a mean reduction of 21% in healthcare utilization costs (pooled utilization cost effect reported)
07
Telehealth decreased transportation costs for rural patients by $38per visit on average (reported patient-cost difference in a study)
08
Average telemedicine platform implementation cost was $250,000for medium-sized clinics in the cited vendor/consulting report
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
Across the cost analysis evidence, telemedicine and remote monitoring consistently cut healthcare spending, with examples ranging from $1,500 saved per patient per year in heart failure and $1,200 fewer avoidable readmission costs to a 28% lower mean cost per tele-stroke patient and a pooled 21% reduction in healthcare utilization costs.
report visual · Key figures
Telemedicine adoption accelerated during and after 2020
Telemedicine usage and clinician adoption surged across 2019–2021, with telehealth also accounting for a meaningful share of outpatient care during the Omicron wave.
1%
1.0% of US adults reported using telemedicine in 2019 (pre-pandemic baseline reported in the cited survey analysis)
7%
Telemedicine usage among physicians rose from 7% to 50% during March–April 2020 (survey results reported by the source)
81%
Telehealth adoption among physicians reached 81% for at least some telehealth use during the pandemic period in the cite
16%
Telehealth accounted for 16.0% of all outpatient visits in the US during the early 2021 Omicron wave period (reported sh
source-verifiedjamanetwork.com · ama-assn.org · cdc.gov2021
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Alexander Schmidt. (2026, February 13). Telemedicine Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/telemedicine-statistics
MLA
Alexander Schmidt. "Telemedicine Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/telemedicine-statistics.
Chicago
Alexander Schmidt. 2026. "Telemedicine Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/telemedicine-statistics.
Sources & references
48 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+30 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)