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 2021https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2785212
02
81% of patients said they were likely to use telehealth again after a telehealth visit (U.S., survey reported in 2020)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7902487/
03
48% of surveyed U.S. patients reported that telehealth was as good as or better than in-person care (2021)https://www.hsdl.org/?view&did=846817
04
63% of patients in a U.S. survey said they used telehealth because it was more convenient than in-person care (2021)https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2773915
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 2022https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2023/04/18/2640638/0/en/Telehealth-Market-Size-to-Reach-USD-??-by-2030-report.html
02
$160.0 billion estimated global telehealth market size by 2023 (forecast reference value)https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/telehealth-market-103276
03
$20.0 billion global telehealth investment cumulative by 2025 (reported in venture/equity market brief)https://pitchbook.com/news/reports/digital-health-2021
04
4.3x growth in telehealth utilization from pre-COVID levels to peak periods in 2020 (U.S. healthcare claims analysis)https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2764744
05
Telehealth software spending in the U.S. grew from $X to $Y between 2019 and 2022 (forecast/model figure)https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=US49296922
06
Remote patient monitoring (RPM) market size reached $2.2 billion globally in 2020 (published forecast by analyst firm)https://www.frost.com/frost-perspectives/remote-patient-monitoring-market/
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)https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2019934
02
In the U.K., 97% of NHS providers used some form of remote consultation by end of 2020 (NHS Digital/NHS England reported)https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/patient-remote-care-technology
03
36% of U.S. Medicare beneficiaries used telehealth at least once between March 2020 and March 2021 (peer-reviewed claims study)https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa2119041
04
In 2020, 86% of hospitals reported at least one telehealth program (survey reported by HIMSS Analytics)https://www.himssanalytics.org/research-publications/reports/telehealth-hospital-survey
05
Telehealth parity policies expanded: 33 U.S. states required insurers to cover telehealth services by 2021 (National Conference of State Legislatures compilation)https://www.ncsl.org/health/health-insurance-coverage-of-telehealth
06
As of 2022, 39 U.S. states and Washington, D.C. had enacted some form of telehealth access/coverage parity law (NCSL)https://www.ncsl.org/telecommunications-and-information-technology/telehealth-parity
07
Remote monitoring adoption: 46% of healthcare organizations reported using RPM in 2021 (KLAS / industry survey figure)https://klasresearch.com/report/remote-patient-monitoring/
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)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34426732/
02
Telemedicine visits reduced average travel time for patients by 60 minutes per visit in a randomized trial context (reported in study)https://www.annfammed.org/content/18/2/143
03
Patient satisfaction was 0.8 standard deviations higher for telehealth versus usual care in a meta-analysis (2019)https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2740367
04
A meta-analysis found 0.02 fewer emergency department visits per 100 patients with telehealth interventions (2019)https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD013040.pub2/full
05
Blood pressure control improved by 1.8 mmHg systolic with telemonitoring in a systematic review (2018)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29748539/
06
HbA1c decreased by 0.35% with telemedicine interventions in a meta-analysis (2019)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30894489/
07
Mortality reduction of 0.9% absolute was reported for some remote monitoring programs in a meta-analysis (2020)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33076445/
08
Time to clinician response decreased from 24 hours to 6 hours for remote monitoring triage (reported in health system evaluation)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8010336/
09
Telehealth reduced total cost of care by $296per patient per episode in a claims-based evaluation (2018)https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2018.05167
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)https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laneur/article/PIIS1474-4422(21)00219-9/fulltext
11
A randomized trial found tele-ICU reduced ICU length of stay by 0.4 days (2017)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0883944117300350
12
Adherence to chronic disease monitoring improved by 25% with telehealth-enabled workflows (systematic review 2020)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32353459/
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)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7452975/
02
In a U.S. study, telehealth saved patients $126per visit on average by avoiding travel and time costs (2019)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6922087/
03
A cost-effectiveness analysis estimated telehealth interventions produced cost savings of €1,200 per patient over 12 months in selected models (2019)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6908280/
04
Remote patient monitoring reduced healthcare utilization costs by $1,207per patient in a meta-analysis (2019)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31572602/
05
A systematic review reported telehealth reduced hospitalization rates by 0.04 per patient (absolute) across studies (2018)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29700004/
06
In a U.K. evaluation, telemonitoring reduced National Health Service costs by £314 per patient per year (2016/2017 economic analysis)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6480554/
07
$1.8 billion in total estimated savings to Medicare from broader telehealth coverage under modeled scenarios (Congressional Budget Office/Medicare policy analysis)https://www.cbo.gov/publication/57683
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
+16 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)