The Percentage of Patients with a Telehealth Claim Increased Nationally and in Every Region Except the Northeast in August
Diabetes Reentered the Top Five Telehealth Diagnostic Categories in the South in August for the First Time Since April
NEW YORK, NY—November 17, 2025—The percentage of patients with a telehealth claim increased nationally and in every US census region except the Northeast in August 2025, according to FAIR Health’s Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker. Nationally, that percentage increased from 14.4 percent in July to 14.8 percent in August, a 2.2 percent rise. Regionally, the increases were 4.0 percent in the Midwest, 2.8 percent in the South and 1.3 percent in the West. In the Northeast, the percentage decreased 0.5 percent. The data represent the commercially insured population, excluding Medicare Fee-for-Service, Medicare Advantage and Medicaid.
In August, telehealth utilization as measured by telehealth claim lines1 also increased nationally and in every region, except the Northeast. Nationally, telehealth claim lines increased from 4.9 percent of medical claim lines in July to 5.1 percent in August, a rise of 3.2 percent. In the Midwest, there was a 4.4 percent increase; in the South, the increase was 4.7 percent, and in the West, it was 2.7 percent. In the Northeast, telehealth claim lines decreased 3.0 percent.
Diagnostic Categories
In August 2025, diabetes mellitus reentered the top five telehealth diagnostic categories in the South for the first time since April. This diagnostic category entered in fifth position, displacing encounter for examination, which had been in fourth position in July but fell off the list in August. Diabetes was not in the top five nationally or in any other region in August.
In August, the largest percentage of telehealth claims, nationally and in every region, again consisted of patients with a mental health condition, and that percentage increased nationally and in all regions except the Midwest, where it decreased. Nationally, patients with a mental health condition rose from 62.0 percent of patients with a telehealth claim in July to 62.4 percent in August.
Urban Versus Rural
In August 2025, as in July, telehealth utilization was higher in urban than rural areas nationally and in every region2. Nationally, 15.0 percent of patients in urban areas had a telehealth claim, compared to 7.5 percent in rural areas. The largest difference occurred in the West, where the percentage of urban patients using telehealth (19.5 percent) was 2.3 times the percentage of rural patients (8.5 percent). The smallest difference was found in the Northeast, where the percentage of patients in urban areas using telehealth (17.1 percent) was 1.5 times the percentage of patients in rural areas using telehealth (11.3 percent).
Age Distribution
In August 2025, the age group 31-40 had the highest proportion of patients with a telehealth claim nationally, followed by the age group 19-30. In the age group 31-40, 23.5 percent of patients had a telehealth claim, and in the age group 19-30, 23.4 percent of patients had a telehealth claim. The same pattern was seen in the West and South, but in the Midwest and Northeast, the age group 19-30 had the highest proportion of patients with a telehealth claim in August. Nationally and in every region, the age groups 0-9 and 65 and older had the lowest proportion of patients with a telehealth claim. In all areas other than the West, less than 10 percent of patients in those age groups had a telehealth claim. In the West, in the age group 65 and older, 10.1 percent of patients had a telehealth claim in August.
Procedure Categories
In August 2025, psychotherapy services and procedures, and established patient office or other outpatient services (including those for mental health conditions), were, as in July, the top two procedure categories nationally and in every region. The order of the two varied by location: Established patient office or other outpatient services ranked first nationally both months (at 47.97 percent of patients with a telehealth claim in August, down from 48.04 percent in July), and psychotherapy services and procedures ranked second nationally (46.8 percent in August, up from 46.2 percent in July). Established patient office or other outpatient services also ranked first in the South and West in August, while psychotherapy services and procedures ranked first in the Midwest and Northeast.
About the Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker
Launched in May 2020 as a free service, the Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker uses FAIR Health data to track how telehealth is evolving from month to month. An interactive map of the four US census regions allows the user to view an infographic on telehealth in a specific month in the nation as a whole or in individual regions. Each year, the infographic introduces varied views into telehealth utilization. In this sixth iteration of the Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker, each infographic shows month-to-month changes in telehealth utilization, both through telehealth’s percentage of medical claim lines and percent of patients with a telehealth claim; that month’s top five diagnostic categories; top five procedure categories; age distribution, which captures the percentage of patients within each age group with a telehealth claim; and urban versus rural telehealth usage.
For the Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker, click here.
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1A claim line is an individual service or procedure listed on an insurance claim.
2 Each telehealth service was attributed to a rural/urban designation in a region based on the patient’s medical service area, which FAIR Health determines based on the unique geographical pattern of services utilized by the patient.
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