Declines in Telemedicine Use Among Adults: United States, 2021 and 2022.

Abstract

Objectives-This report examines changes in telemedicine use among U.S. adults between 2021 and 2022 by selected sociodemographic and geographic characteristics. Methods-Data from the 2021 and 2022 National Health Interview Survey were used to assess changes between these 2 years in the percentage of adults who used telemedicine in the previous 12 months, by sex, age, race and Hispanic origin, family income, education, region of residence, urbanization level, and health insurance coverage. Results-Overall, the percentage of adults who used telemedicine in the past 12 months decreased from 37.0% in 2021 to 30.1% in 2022. This pattern was observed across several sociodemographic and geographic characteristics, such as sex, family income, education, region, and urbanization level. Women, adults with a college degree or higher, and adults living in more urban areas were all more likely to use telemedicine in 2022. In 2021 and 2022, uninsured adults ages 18-64 were less likely to use telemedicine compared with those who had private or public insurance, while adults age 65 and older who had Medicare only were less likely to use telemedicine compared with those with other types of insurance. However, for both age groups, telemedicine use decreased from 2021 to 2022 for all insurance types except public coverage for adults ages 18-64. Summary-National Health Interview Survey data may be used to monitor national trends and understand patterns of telemedicine use by sociodemographic and geographic characteristics as the transition forward from the global COVID-19 pandemic continues.