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, Nov. 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- 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 region.² 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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About FAIR Health
FAIR Health is a national, independent nonprofit organization that qualifies as a public charity under section 501(c)(3) of the federal tax code. Its mission is to supply reliable information for all stakeholders to improve healthcare quality, access and affordability. FAIR Health possesses the nation's largest collection of commercial healthcare claims data, which includes over 54 billion claim records and is growing at a rate of about 4 billion claim records a year. FAIR Health licenses its commercial data and data products—including benchmark modules, data visualizations, custom analytics and market indices—to commercial insurers and self-insurers, employers, providers, hospitals and healthcare systems, government agencies, researchers and others. Certified by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as a national Qualified Entity, FAIR Health also receives data representing the experience of all individuals enrolled in traditional Medicare Parts A, B and D, which accounts for a separate collection of over 53 billion claim records; FAIR Health includes among the commercial claims data in its database, data on Medicare Advantage enrollees. FAIR Health can produce insightful analytic reports and data products based on combined Medicare and commercial claims data for government, providers, payors and other authorized users. FAIR Health's systems for processing and storing protected health information have earned HITRUST CSF certification and achieved AICPA SOC 2 Type 2 compliance by meeting the rigorous data security requirements of these standards. As a testament to the reliability and objectivity of FAIR Health data, the data have been incorporated in statutes and regulations around the country and designated as the official, neutral data source for a variety of state health programs, including workers' compensation and personal injury protection (PIP) programs. FAIR Health data serve as an official reference point in support of certain state balance billing laws that protect consumers against bills for surprise out-of-network and emergency services. FAIR Health also uses its database to power a free consumer website available in English and Spanish, which enables consumers to estimate and plan for their healthcare expenditures and offers a rich educational platform on health insurance. An English/Spanish mobile app offers the same educational platform in a concise format and links to the cost estimation tools. 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. 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]

SOURCE FAIR Health