Telehealth went from an emergency workaround to a routine part of care for millions. In the U.S., 1 in 4 adults used telehealth in the past year in 2021, while the global telehealth market was forecast to reach $160.0 billion by 2023 and the RPM market hit $2.2 billion in 2020. We will compare usage, patient experience, and costs side by side to show where telemedicine is taking hold and where it is still struggling.
Key Takeaways
- 1 in 4 adults (25%) in the U.S. used telehealth in the past year in 2021
- 81% of patients said they were likely to use telehealth again after a telehealth visit (U.S., survey reported in 2020)
- 48% of surveyed U.S. patients reported that telehealth was as good as or better than in-person care (2021)
- $68.0 billion global telehealth market size in 2022
- $160.0 billion estimated global telehealth market size by 2023 (forecast reference value)
- $20.0 billion global telehealth investment cumulative by 2025 (reported in venture/equity market brief)
- Telehealth consultations increased from 0.3% of total visits to 46% during early COVID-19 peak in the U.S. (claims-based analysis)
- In the U.K., 97% of NHS providers used some form of remote consultation by end of 2020 (NHS Digital/NHS England reported)
- 36% of U.S. Medicare beneficiaries used telehealth at least once between March 2020 and March 2021 (peer-reviewed claims study)
- 35% reduction in no-show rates with video visits compared with in-person visits (systematic review/meta-analysis)
- Telemedicine visits reduced average travel time for patients by 60 minutes per visit in a randomized trial context (reported in study)
- Patient satisfaction was 0.8 standard deviations higher for telehealth versus usual care in a meta-analysis (2019)
- Telehealth reduced average visit costs by 19% versus in-person care in a review of U.S. studies (2020)
- In a U.S. study, telehealth saved patients $126 per visit on average by avoiding travel and time costs (2019)
- A cost-effectiveness analysis estimated telehealth interventions produced cost savings of €1,200 per patient over 12 months in selected models (2019)
Telehealth adoption soared during COVID-19 and saved time and money while matching or improving care outcomes.
Related reading
01 · Category
User Adoption4 stats
01
1 in 4 adults (25%) in the U.S. used telehealth in the past year in 2021
02
81% of patients said they were likely to use telehealth again after a telehealth visit (U.S., survey reported in 2020)
03
48% of surveyed U.S. patients reported that telehealth was as good as or better than in-person care (2021)
04
63% of patients in a U.S. survey said they used telehealth because it was more convenient than in-person care (2021)
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
From a user adoption perspective, telehealth is already mainstream with 25% of U.S. adults using it in 2021, and strong satisfaction and convenience drivers show up in the numbers, including 81% likely to use again and 63% citing convenience over in-person care.
02 · Category
Market Size6 stats
01
$68.0 billion global telehealth market size in 2022
02
$160.0 billion estimated global telehealth market size by 2023 (forecast reference value)
03
$20.0 billion global telehealth investment cumulative by 2025 (reported in venture/equity market brief)
04
4.3x growth in telehealth utilization from pre-COVID levels to peak periods in 2020 (U.S. healthcare claims analysis)
05
Telehealth software spending in the U.S. grew from $X to $Y between 2019 and 2022 (forecast/model figure)
06
Remote patient monitoring (RPM) market size reached $2.2 billion globally in 2020 (published forecast by analyst firm)
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
From a $68.0 billion global telehealth market size in 2022 to a projected $160.0 billion by 2023, the Market Size data shows telemedicine is rapidly scaling as investment and usage accelerates, with remote patient monitoring alone reaching a $2.2 billion market in 2020.
03 · Category
Industry Trends7 stats
01
Telehealth consultations increased from 0.3% of total visits to 46% during early COVID-19 peak in the U.S. (claims-based analysis)
02
In the U.K., 97% of NHS providers used some form of remote consultation by end of 2020 (NHS Digital/NHS England reported)
03
36% of U.S. Medicare beneficiaries used telehealth at least once between March 2020 and March 2021 (peer-reviewed claims study)
04
In 2020, 86% of hospitals reported at least one telehealth program (survey reported by HIMSS Analytics)
05
Telehealth parity policies expanded: 33 U.S. states required insurers to cover telehealth services by 2021 (National Conference of State Legislatures compilation)
06
As of 2022, 39 U.S. states and Washington, D.C. had enacted some form of telehealth access/coverage parity law (NCSL)
07
Remote monitoring adoption: 46% of healthcare organizations reported using RPM in 2021 (KLAS / industry survey figure)
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Industry trends show telehealth has moved from niche to mainstream, with U.S. telehealth consultations rising from 0.3% to 46% at the early COVID-19 peak and broad policy momentum following, including parity coverage requirements in 33 states by 2021 and 39 states plus Washington, D.C. by 2022.
More related reading
04 · Category
Performance Metrics12 stats
01
35% reduction in no-show rates with video visits compared with in-person visits (systematic review/meta-analysis)
02
Telemedicine visits reduced average travel time for patients by 60 minutes per visit in a randomized trial context (reported in study)
03
Patient satisfaction was 0.8 standard deviations higher for telehealth versus usual care in a meta-analysis (2019)
04
A meta-analysis found 0.02 fewer emergency department visits per 100 patients with telehealth interventions (2019)
05
Blood pressure control improved by 1.8 mmHg systolic with telemonitoring in a systematic review (2018)
06
HbA1c decreased by 0.35% with telemedicine interventions in a meta-analysis (2019)
07
Mortality reduction of 0.9% absolute was reported for some remote monitoring programs in a meta-analysis (2020)
08
Time to clinician response decreased from 24 hours to 6 hours for remote monitoring triage (reported in health system evaluation)
09
Telehealth reduced total cost of care by $296per patient per episode in a claims-based evaluation (2018)
10
Noninferiority of telehealth for stroke outcome was demonstrated: modified Rankin scale difference of 0.01 points versus in-person in a trial (reported 2021)
11
A randomized trial found tele-ICU reduced ICU length of stay by 0.4 days (2017)
12
Adherence to chronic disease monitoring improved by 25% with telehealth-enabled workflows (systematic review 2020)
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Across these performance metrics, telemedicine consistently delivers measurable gains, such as a 35% reduction in no show rates and clinically meaningful improvements like HbA1c dropping by 0.35% and systolic blood pressure rising by 1.8 mmHg, indicating stronger care delivery efficiency and outcomes than in person or usual care in multiple evaluations.
05 · Category
Cost Analysis7 stats
01
Telehealth reduced average visit costs by 19% versus in-person care in a review of U.S. studies (2020)
02
In a U.S. study, telehealth saved patients $126per visit on average by avoiding travel and time costs (2019)
03
A cost-effectiveness analysis estimated telehealth interventions produced cost savings of €1,200 per patient over 12 months in selected models (2019)
04
Remote patient monitoring reduced healthcare utilization costs by $1,207per patient in a meta-analysis (2019)
05
A systematic review reported telehealth reduced hospitalization rates by 0.04 per patient (absolute) across studies (2018)
06
In a U.K. evaluation, telemonitoring reduced National Health Service costs by £314 per patient per year (2016/2017 economic analysis)
07
$1.8 billion in total estimated savings to Medicare from broader telehealth coverage under modeled scenarios (Congressional Budget Office/Medicare policy analysis)
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
Cost analyses consistently show that telemedicine can materially lower spending, with average visit costs dropping by 19% versus in-person care and even broader modeled Medicare coverage generating $1.8 billion in estimated savings.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Isabelle Moreau. (2026, February 13). Telemedicine Usage Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/telemedicine-usage-statistics
MLA
Isabelle Moreau. "Telemedicine Usage Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/telemedicine-usage-statistics.
Chicago
Isabelle Moreau. 2026. "Telemedicine Usage Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/telemedicine-usage-statistics.
Sources & references
36 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+16 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)