In November, the Percentage of Patients with a Telehealth Claim Increased Nationally and in Every Region

Sleep Disorders Reentered the Top Five National Telehealth Diagnostic Categories in November After Falling Out in October

NEW YORK, Feb. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The percentage of patients with a telehealth claim increased nationally and in every region in November 2025, according to FAIR Health's Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker. Nationally, that percentage increased from 14.5 percent in October to 15.0 percent in November, a 3.6 percent rise. The largest increase was in the Midwest, at 5.1 percent; in the Northeast, it was 4.1 percent; in the South, it was 3.8 percent; and in the West, it was 3.7 percent. The data represent the commercially insured population, excluding Medicare Fee-for-Service, Medicare Advantage and Medicaid.

Telehealth utilization as measured by telehealth claim lines¹ also increased nationally and in every region in November 2025. Nationally, telehealth claim lines increased from 4.9 percent of medical claim lines in October to 5.1 percent in November, an increase of 2.5 percent. The largest increase was in the Northeast, at 5.1 percent; in the West, it was 4.9 percent; in the South, it was 2.9 percent; and in the Midwest, it was 1.9 percent.

Diagnostic Categories
In November 2025, sleep disorders was the fifth most commonly used diagnostic category, after falling off the list in October, and even though its share of patients decreased 2.7 percent. Although rising nationally, the sleep disorders category fell from second to fourth position in the Midwest and was not ranked among the top five in any other region in November.

In November, the largest percentage of telehealth claims, nationally and in every region, again consisted of patients with a mental health condition. From October to November, that percentage decreased nationally and in every region except the West. Nationally, patients with a mental health condition decreased from 63.9 percent of patients with a telehealth claim in October to 63.0 percent in November.

Urban Versus Rural
In November 2025, as in October, telehealth utilization was higher in urban than rural areas nationally and in every region.² Nationally, 15.2 percent of patients in urban areas had a telehealth claim, compared to 7.7 percent in rural areas. The largest difference occurred in the West, where the percentage of urban patients using telehealth (19.5 percent) was 2.4 times the percentage of rural patients (8.3 percent). The smallest difference was found in the Northeast, where the percentage of patients in urban areas using telehealth (17.5 percent) was 1.5 times the percentage of patients in rural areas using telehealth (11.8 percent).

Age Distribution
In November 2025, the age group 19-30 followed by the age group 31-40 had the highest proportion of patients with a telehealth claim nationally and in every region except the South. In that region, the two groups' positions were reversed. 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, less than 10 percent of patients in those age groups had a telehealth claim.

Procedure Categories
In November 2025, psychotherapy services and procedures, and established patient office or other outpatient services (including those for mental health conditions), were, as in October, 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 in the South and West in both months, while psychotherapy services and procedures ranked first nationally and in the Midwest and Northeast in both months.

Psychiatric diagnostic procedures, which ranked fourth and fifth in the South and West, respectively, in October, dropped out of the rankings in both regions in November. That procedure category also dropped from fourth to fifth position nationally and from third to fourth position in the Northeast in November, but it remained ranked fourth in the Midwest.

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; and 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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About FAIR Health
FAIR Health's mission is to supply objective, unbiased information for all stakeholders to improve healthcare quality, access and affordability. It holds the nation's largest collection of commercial healthcare claims data, which is growing at a rate of about four billion claim records a year. A national Qualified Entity certified by CMS, FAIR Health also receives all claims for individuals enrolled in traditional Medicare Parts A, B and D. As a testament to its reliability and objectivity, FAIR Health's data products—including pricing benchmarks and custom analytics—are widely used by commercial insurers and self-insurers, providers, hospitals and healthcare systems, government, researchers and more. FAIR Health has been designated an official data source for state health programs, including workers' compensation and personal injury protection (PIP) programs, and surprise billing laws that protect consumers. FAIR Health's free consumer website and mobile app, available in English and Spanish, enable consumers to estimate and plan for their healthcare expenses and offer a rich educational platform on health insurance. The website has been honored by the White House Summit on Smart Disclosure, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), URAC, the eHealthcare Leadership Awards, appPicker, Employee Benefit News and Kiplinger's Personal Finance. FAIR Health is a national, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. For more information on FAIR Health, visit fairhealth.org.

Contact:
Rachel Kent
Executive Director of Communications and Marketing
FAIR Health
646-396-0795
[email protected]

¹ A 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.

SOURCE FAIR Health