Official dataSmallUSA
70.6%
of US solo-practice physicians used telemedicine in 2024, against 89.6% of physicians in practices with 11 or more physicians
Sample: NEHRS 2024, office-based physicians in solo practice.
Official dataUpdated 23 Oct 2026
80.0%of office-based US physicians used telemedicine in 2024, down from 86.5% in 2021
80.0% of office-based US physicians used telemedicine in 2024, down from 86.5% in 2021 (CDC, NCHS). Use is lowest among solo-practice physicians (70.6%) and highest among physicians in practices with 11 or more (89.6%).
Margin of error: 95% CI 77.7% to 82.2% (SE 1.1)
Official dataChecked at source, 23 Oct 2026All sizesUSAHealthcare · Telehealth
Office-based physicians using telemedicine, by practice size, 2024
| Group | Use telemedicine (2024) |
|---|---|
| Solo | 70.6% |
| 2 to 10 physicians | 78.7% |
| 11 or more | 89.6% |
| All physicians | 80% |
Physicians using telemedicine, 2021 and 2024, by specialty
| Group | 2021 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Primary care | 91.4% | 86.2% |
| Medical | 87.2% | 83.2% |
| Surgical | 74.8% | 60.1% |
In plain words
What this number really says
Four in five office-based doctors still offer telemedicine. But use has slipped since 2021, and small practices fall furthest behind.
80.0%
of office-based physicians used telemedicine in 2024
70.6%
of physicians in solo practice, the lowest by practice size
60.9%
of physicians outside metro areas, down from 83.3% in 2021
Why you can trust it. Official CDC survey (NEHRS), 1,460 physicians in 2024, with confidence intervals published.
Key terms
- Telemedicine NCHS counts a yes to: "Does your practice use telemedicine technology (e.g., audio, audio with video, web videoconference) for patient visits?"
- Office-based physician A doctor who sees patients in an office setting, not a hospital.
- Non-MSA Outside a metropolitan statistical area: rural and small-town practices.
Source: CDC National Center for Health Statistics, NCHS Health E-Stat 120, National Electronic Health Records Survey, 2024
Before and now
How we got here
2019
15.4%Before the pandemic (earlier NCHS data, narrower definition).
2021
86.5%Pandemic peak in this survey.
2024
80.0%Latest NEHRS data, published June 2026.
Compare
How 80.0% compares
This number
80.0%
USA 2024
LatestSolo practice
70.6%
2021: 76.3%
change not significant2 to 10 physicians
78.7%
2021: 86.8%
-8.1 pts11 or more physicians
89.6%
2021: 96.8%
-7.2 ptsAll physicians
80.0%
2021: 86.5%
-6.5 ptsWho it affects
Who feels this number
The same 80.0% means something different for each group.
Surgical specialists
60.1%Biggest dropDown from 74.8% in 2021, a 19.7% decrease.
Rural (non-metro) physicians
60.9%Steep dropDown from 83.3% in 2021, a 26.9% decrease.
Primary care physicians
86.2%Still highDown from 91.4% in 2021.
Where it shows
Where this number has an impact
For small practices
Solo doctors are the least likely to offer telemedicine (70.6%). A clear online booking page and video-visit option is still a way to stand out locally.
For patients
Most doctors still offer it, so asking your practice for a video or phone visit is usually worth it, especially in primary care (86.2%).
The future
What this number says about what comes next
Forecasts below are made by others and linked to where they were published. Our own reading of the data is marked as ours.
Our reading, not a forecast
What the data suggests
- Settling, not collapsing. Our reading: telemedicine fell from its 2021 peak but four in five office-based doctors still use it. The big falls are in surgery and rural areas.
Where it already is: the benchmarks
Solo
70.6%
2 to 10
78.7%
11 or more
89.6%
What to watch next
- The next NEHRS release from NCHS.
- Medicare telehealth payment rules, which shape how many practices keep offering visits.
The data
All the numbers in one table
As published by CDC National Center for Health Statistics, NCHS Health E-Stat 120, National Electronic Health Records Survey, 2024. Standard errors are shown where the source gives them.
| Group | 2021 | 2024 | SE 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| All physicians | 86.5% | 80.0% | 1.1 |
| Solo practice | 76.3% | 70.6% | 2.9 |
| 2 to 10 physicians | 86.8% | 78.7% | 1.7 |
| 11 or more physicians | 96.8% | 89.6% | 1.6 |
| Primary care | 91.4% | 86.2% | 1.7 |
| Surgical | 74.8% | 60.1% | 2.2 |
| Medical specialty | 87.2% | 83.2% | 2.0 |
| Non-metro area | 83.3% | 60.9% | 6.1 |
Why some pages say 86% and others 80%
86.5% is the 2021 figure from the same survey. Pages written before June 2026 still use it.
Older NCHS work used a narrower definition (audio with video and web videoconference only), so the 15.4% (2019) is not strictly comparable.
Method and use
How it was measured, and how to use it
How it was measured
- Publisher
- CDC National Center for Health Statistics, NCHS Health E-Stat 120, National Electronic Health Records Survey
- Source type
- Official data: Government statistics office or regulator
- What it measures
- 80.0% of office-based US physicians used telemedicine in 2024, down from 86.5% in 2021
- Data period
- 2024 (ends 31 Dec 2024)
- Published by the source
- 24 Jun 2026
- Who is counted
- National Electronic Health Records Survey: weighted estimates of 1,460 office-based physicians in 2024 (1,875 in 2021); response rate 47.4% in 2024.
- Margin of error
- 95% CI 77.7% to 82.2% (SE 1.1)
- In the source's words
Telemedicine use among office-based physicians was lower in 2024 (80.0%) than in 2021 (86.5%)
- Checked at source
- 23 Oct 2026: Read on cdc.gov NCHS Health E-Stat 120 (June 2026) with headless Chrome; table and text agree. Publish day 24 Jun 2026 from the research notes; the page shows "June 2026".
- Reuse
- Public domain (US government work). Free to reuse; credit CDC/NCHS.
- Next expected update
- Irregular (CDC National Center for Health Statistics, irregular (NEHRS waves))
- Original page
- www.cdc.gov: NCHS Health E-Stat 120, National Electronic Health Records Survey
- Data files
- CSV · JSON (stable links)
Full change log
- 23 Oct 2026CorrectionWording corrected to match the source: rates are shares of physicians, not of practices
- 24 Jun 2026New data80.0% 2024 NEHRS data; 2021 was 86.5%.
Cite this number
APA
CDC National Center for Health Statistics. (2026). 80.0% of office-based US physicians used telemedicine in 2024, down from 86.5% in 2021. Via digitaltreed, https://digitaltreed.com/statistics/healthcare/physicians-telemedicine-use
MLA
"80.0% of office-based US physicians used telemedicine in 2024, down from 86.5% in 2021." CDC National Center for Health Statistics, NCHS Health E-Stat 120, National Electronic Health Records Survey, 2024. digitaltreed, https://digitaltreed.com/statistics/healthcare/physicians-telemedicine-use.
HTML link
<a href="https://digitaltreed.com/statistics/healthcare/physicians-telemedicine-use">80.0% of office-based US physicians used telemedicine in 2024, down from 86.5% in 2021</a> (CDC National Center for Health Statistics, 2024)
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FAQ
Questions about this number
What percentage of doctors use telehealth?
80.0% of office-based US physicians used telemedicine in 2024, according to CDC NCHS data published in June 2026.
Is telehealth use going down?
Yes, slightly. It fell from 86.5% of office-based physicians in 2021 to 80.0% in 2024.
Do small practices use telehealth less?
Yes. 70.6% of physicians in solo practice used it in 2024, against 89.6% of physicians in practices with 11 or more physicians.
Which doctors use telehealth the most?
Primary care physicians, at 86.2% in 2024. Surgical specialists were lowest at 60.1%.
Do rural doctors use telehealth?
Less than before: 60.9% of physicians outside metro areas in 2024, down from 83.3% in 2021.
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