FAIR Health Reports September 2025 Telehealth Utilization Trends

In September 2025, telehealth claim lines in the U.S. saw a slight national decrease from 5.1% in August to 5.0%, reflecting a 2.3% drop. All U.S. census regions experienced decreases except the Northeast, which had a 2.9% increase. The Midwest, South, and West regions saw declines of 6.9%, 2.6%, and 1.4%, respectively. These figures pertain to the commercially insured population, excluding Medicare fee-for-service, Medicare Advantage, and Medicaid. The percentage of patients with telehealth claims slightly decreased nationally from 14.8% in August to 14.7% in September. Declines were noted in the Midwest and West, while the South and Northeast regions recorded increases. The Midwest dropped 1.8%, the West 1.1%, with the South and Northeast increasing 0.8% and 0.6%, respectively. Sleep disorders reentered the national top five telehealth diagnostic categories in September, taking the fifth spot and displacing joint and soft tissue conditions. Regionally, sleep disorders ranked third in the Midwest but were absent from the top five in other regions. Mental health conditions remained the most common telehealth diagnostic category nationwide and in every region during September 2025. Nationally, mental health-related telehealth claims represented 62.1% of patients, a slight decrease from 62.4% in August. Regional trends were mixed, with increases in the Midwest and Northeast but decreases in the South and West. Telehealth utilization in urban areas remained significantly higher than in rural areas across all regions in September. Nationally, 14.9% of urban patients used telehealth services, compared to 7.4% in rural areas. The greatest urban-rural gap was in the West, where urban usage was over twice that of rural patients. The Northeast showed the smallest disparity. Age distribution analysis for telehealth claims showed that the 19-30 age group had the highest proportion of telehealth patients nationally and regionally, surpassing the 31-40 age bracket for the first time since April 2025. The lowest telehealth utilization was found in the 0-9 and 65+ age groups, each constituting less than 10% of patients. Psychotherapy services and established patient office/outpatient services remained the top telehealth procedure categories nationwide and regionally in September. Nationally, established patient office visits led at 48.04% of telehealth patients, slightly up from August. Psychotherapy services followed closely at 46.4%, slightly down from the previous month. Regional variations existed in the ranking order. The FAIR Health Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker provides data-driven insights on telehealth utilization trends across the U.S. The tracker reports month-to-month changes in telehealth claims and patient percentages, top diagnostic and procedure categories, age distributions, and urban vs rural usage. It serves as a resource for stakeholders seeking to understand telehealth evolution since its inception in May 2020. FAIR Health is a national nonprofit organization recognized as a Qualified Entity by CMS, managing extensive commercial and Medicare claims data. Their data supports healthcare stakeholders including insurers, providers, and government agencies, aiding in healthcare quality improvement and policy. FAIR Health's datasets also underpin regulatory protections such as state balance billing laws and support educational platforms for consumers. The data set excludes Medicare fee-for-service but includes Medicare Advantage claims within the commercial database, providing an expansive view of telehealth’s role in contemporary U.S. healthcare. The disparities in telehealth adoption highlight ongoing access and utilization variances between urban and rural populations as well as by age group, guiding payers and providers in addressing these gaps.