30% of All US Medical Visits to Be Conducted via Telemedicine by 2026, ScienceSoft Predicts

ScienceSoft released proprietary research exploring the adoption of telemedicine in the United States. Relying on statistical insights, first-hand opinions from healthcare industry representatives, and market data, the report estimates that, by the end of 2026, around 30% of all medical appointments in the United States will be conducted via telemedicine technologies.

The research sheds light on the adoption of telemedicine by different medical specialties, with mental health leading the way (38.3% of all mental health encounters were done via telehealth in 2023). Notably, 78.6% of hospitals in the United States reported having installed a telemedicine solution, which means the necessary technology is already in place.

ScienceSoft also identified the key drivers and roadblocks to telemedicine adoption. The research cites the lack of government support as the main barrier to the spread of telehealth. Most regulatory flexibilities regarding telehealth that were introduced during the pandemic expired on December 31, 2024. As of February 2025, the fate of telemedicine remains unclear. However, the American Hospital Association (AHA) submitted a statement to the US Congress on behalf of nearly 5,000 member hospitals urging the government to make these legal flexibilities permanent. This represents a collective effort from the medical community to firmly incorporate telemedicine into the US healthcare landscape.

The study also examines the impact that telemedicine has on different participants in the care delivery process. For providers, telemedicine brings a chance to generate more revenue with the same or even reduced resource capacity. Meanwhile, patients can enjoy enhanced care accessibility and convenience, although they may also face a higher risk of a missed diagnosis if they overly rely on telemedicine. Some critical signs of disease are best detected through physical examinations. Finally, for insurers, telemedicine reduces the frequency and severity of claims, which comes at the cost of a higher chance of fraud due to the remote nature of telehealth.

Read the article for more insights.

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ScienceSoft is a US-based healthcare IT consulting and software engineering company with almost 20 years of experience in the domain. ScienceSoft has delivered over 150+ medical IT projects and has practical experience in telemedicine software development. The company closely monitors industry trends and conducts research on the dynamic healthcare IT market. Feel free to contact us for the full study, an interview, or opinion sharing.