What are the current telehealth trends?

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Telehealth has matured from pandemic necessity to strategic healthcare infrastructure. While video consultations and remote monitoring remain foundational, new opportunities emerge through AI automation, digital therapeutics, and hybrid care models that combine virtual and physical touchpoints.

Smart investors and entrepreneurs recognize that telehealth's next phase centers on value-based outcomes, seamless integration, and addressing specific provider pain points rather than generic digital solutions. And if you need to understand this market in 30 minutes with the latest information, you can download our quick market pitch.

What established telehealth trends continue shaping the market today?

Four core telehealth modalities have proven their staying power and continue driving market fundamentals.

Synchronous video and telephone consultations remain the backbone, accounting for roughly 30% of all outpatient encounters as of July 2025. Primary care and mental health lead adoption, with providers integrating these directly into EHR workflows rather than using standalone platforms. This shift toward embedded solutions signals market maturation beyond bolt-on technologies.

Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) for chronic disease management has demonstrated measurable ROI through improved outcomes and medication adherence, particularly for cardiometabolic conditions. Healthcare systems now view RPM as essential infrastructure rather than experimental technology, with Medicare reimbursement codes solidifying its financial foundation.

Telepsychiatry dominates telehealth claims at approximately 60% of total volume in Q1 2025, driven by persistent provider shortages and patient preference for virtual mental health services. This trend predates COVID-19 and shows no signs of plateauing, creating sustainable revenue streams for specialized practices.

Pharmacist-led telemanagement through scheduled telephonic interventions continues proving its value for hypertension, diabetes, and anticoagulation management. These programs generate consistent positive outcomes while reducing physician workload, making them attractive for value-based care contracts.

Which emerging telehealth trends show early promise but remain nascent?

Six emerging trends present significant opportunities for entrepreneurs and investors willing to navigate early-stage market dynamics.

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What telehealth trends have declined or lost momentum recently?

Three categories of telehealth applications have experienced significant market contraction, offering lessons for future investments.

All-digital urgent care chains struggled with unit economics and patient retention, leading to notable shutdowns including Walmart Health Virtual operations. These platforms discovered that urgent care requires physical examination capabilities that virtual-only models cannot adequately replace, resulting in poor clinical outcomes and low patient satisfaction scores.

Standalone direct-to-consumer platforms lacking EHR interoperability saw dramatic usage declines post-pandemic peak. Patients and providers demanded seamless data flow rather than isolated digital health islands, forcing consolidation toward integrated solutions or market exit for non-compliant platforms.

Generic text-based or email-only consultation services plateaued as patient expectations evolved toward richer, more interactive experiences. Chat-only platforms failed to provide sufficient clinical context and relationship-building opportunities, giving way to AI-augmented video interactions and multimedia communication tools.

These declining trends share common failure patterns: inadequate clinical integration, poor unit economics, and misalignment with provider workflows, providing clear guidance for avoiding similar pitfalls.

Which telehealth trends generated hype but failed to deliver meaningful impact?

Two prominent telehealth categories attracted significant investment but ultimately under-delivered on their ambitious promises.

Virtual primary care "one-stop" marketplaces promised comprehensive end-to-end digital primary care but struggled with reimbursement complexity and unsustainable margins. These platforms discovered that primary care requires longitudinal relationships, complex care coordination, and physical touch points that purely virtual models cannot efficiently provide, leading to numerous high-profile shutdowns and pivots.

Blockchain-based telehealth records generated substantial early enthusiasm for interoperability solutions but failed to gain meaningful traction due to implementation complexity and unclear return on investment. Healthcare systems found that traditional API-based integration approaches provided faster, more cost-effective interoperability without the technical overhead and energy consumption concerns of blockchain architectures.

Both failed trends suffered from solution-first rather than problem-first approaches, attempting to force novel technologies into healthcare workflows without addressing genuine pain points or demonstrating clear value propositions.

Which current telehealth trends are gaining the most momentum right now?

Five specific trends are experiencing accelerated adoption and investment, driven by clear value propositions and favorable market conditions.

These trends share common success factors: clear reimbursement pathways, measurable clinical outcomes, and direct solutions to provider pain points, making them attractive targets for strategic investment and entrepreneurial focus.

Which specific startups and key players are driving each emerging trend?

Leading companies in each high-growth telehealth segment demonstrate distinct approaches to market penetration and value creation.

AI-powered workflow companies include Abridge for AI scribing solutions, Augmedix for ambient clinical documentation, and Hippocratic AI for large language model safety in healthcare applications. These firms focus on seamless EHR integration and provider workflow optimization rather than standalone applications.

Digital therapeutics leaders span Click Therapeutics addressing depression and insomnia through evidence-based software interventions, Kaia Health targeting musculoskeletal conditions with personalized exercise therapy, and Lumen providing metabolic health optimization through continuous glucose monitoring integration.

Remote monitoring specialists include Biofourmis for AI-powered predictive analytics, BioIntelliSense for continuous vital signs monitoring, Cadence Care for chronic disease management platforms, and CareSimple for user-friendly RPM device ecosystems targeting older adult populations.

Virtual mental health platforms encompass Talkspace and BetterHelp for direct-pay therapy services, plus Lyra Health for employer-sponsored mental health benefits with measurement-based care protocols.

Hybrid care and hospital-at-home innovators feature EvalHealth for virtual nursing solutions, Contessa Health for acute care at home, and Medically Home for technology-enabled home hospitalization programs with 24/7 monitoring capabilities.

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What major patient and provider pain points are these telehealth trends addressing?

Four fundamental healthcare challenges drive telehealth adoption and create sustainable market opportunities for targeted solutions.

Access gaps in rural and underserved areas remain a primary driver, with RPM and hybrid care models bridging geographic distance through technology-enabled specialist consultation and continuous monitoring. These solutions address the reality that 65% of rural counties lack psychiatrists and 47% lack general surgeons, creating market opportunities for virtual specialty care networks.

Provider burnout from administrative burden represents a massive pain point, with AI scribing and automation directly addressing the 2-3 hours of documentation work required for every hour of patient care. Healthcare systems report 30-50% reductions in administrative time through AI-powered documentation solutions, translating to improved provider satisfaction and retention.

Chronic disease burden affects 60% of American adults, with continuous remote monitoring and digital therapeutics improving medication adherence rates from typical 50% levels to 80-90% through automated reminders, behavioral interventions, and real-time feedback loops.

Mental health provider shortages create extensive waitlists and access barriers, with telepsychiatry expanding effective provider reach by 3-5x through elimination of geographic constraints and more efficient scheduling models that reduce no-show rates.

How are healthcare providers actually adopting and reacting to these trends in practice?

Healthcare systems report three distinct patterns in telehealth integration that reveal implementation realities and strategic priorities.

Telehealth utilization has stabilized at 25-35% of total visits, significantly down from pandemic highs but representing a 10x increase over pre-2020 baseline levels. This stabilization suggests market maturation rather than decline, with providers selectively applying virtual care to appropriate use cases rather than attempting universal virtualization.

Strategic integration into care pathways has replaced bolt-on solutions as the preferred approach, with health systems demanding full EHR interoperability and seamless data flow rather than standalone telehealth platforms. This shift favors vendors with robust integration capabilities and eliminates pure-play solutions lacking technical depth.

Dedicated telehealth organizational structures are emerging, including Chief Virtual Care Officers and specialized telehealth teams focused on optimizing patient experience and clinical workflows. These roles indicate institutional commitment beyond temporary pandemic responses, creating stable customer bases for telehealth technology vendors.

Provider feedback emphasizes workflow efficiency and clinical quality over technology novelty, with successful implementations focusing on reducing administrative burden and improving patient outcomes rather than pursuing technological sophistication for its own sake.

What new business models are emerging around telehealth trends?

Three innovative business model categories are reshaping telehealth economics and creating new revenue streams for entrepreneurs and investors.

Subscription and value-based care models for chronic disease management bundle RPM devices, clinician time, and data analytics into monthly fees ranging from $150-400 per patient. These models shift risk to telehealth providers while generating predictable recurring revenue, with successful companies achieving 15-25% EBITDA margins through population health management approaches.

Outcome-linked digital therapeutics licensing creates performance-based reimbursement where payers compensate DTx companies based on measured patient improvements such as HbA1c reduction, depression score improvements, or medication adherence rates. This model aligns financial incentives with clinical outcomes while reducing payer risk.

Risk-sharing partnership models between health systems and technology vendors distribute both implementation costs and performance rewards, with vendors accepting partial capitation risk in exchange for revenue upside from improved patient outcomes and reduced utilization. These partnerships require strong balance sheets but offer significant scalability for successful implementations.

These emerging models share common characteristics: outcome measurement, risk distribution, and long-term contractual relationships that create sustainable competitive advantages for early movers with proven clinical efficacy.

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What regulatory and technological factors could accelerate or block these trends?

Six key factors will determine telehealth growth trajectory and market accessibility over the next 2-3 years.

• Medicare telehealth waivers currently extend through September 2025 with potential permanency, providing reimbursement certainty for virtual care services and enabling long-term business planning for telehealth companies
• Interstate Medical Licensure Compact now includes 41 states, dramatically expanding provider mobility and patient access while reducing regulatory compliance costs for multi-state telehealth operations
• FDA Breakthrough Designations for digital therapeutics are accelerating approval timelines and encouraging insurer coverage decisions, creating clearer regulatory pathways for DTx companies
• High-deductible health plan coverage gaps limit first-dollar telehealth access for many patients, potentially restricting market growth in price-sensitive segments
• State-by-state policy variations create reimbursement uncertainty and compliance complexity, particularly for prescribing regulations and cross-state patient care
• Cybersecurity and data privacy requirements for IoMT devices increase development costs and regulatory burden while potentially limiting innovation speed

Regulatory accelerators currently outweigh barriers, but policy reversals or cybersecurity incidents could rapidly shift this balance, making regulatory monitoring essential for telehealth investments.

What realistic changes and developments can be expected in telehealth by 2026?

Four specific developments will likely reshape telehealth landscape within the next 18 months, based on current adoption trajectories and investment patterns.

Telehealth utilization will stabilize at 30-40% of all outpatient visits, establishing hybrid care as the default rather than exceptional model. This stabilization reflects optimal use case identification rather than market saturation, with clear delineation between virtual-appropriate and in-person-required services.

AI integration will automate 50% or more of telehealth documentation workflows through ambient scribing, automated clinical note generation, and intelligent care gap identification. Early adopters report 2-3x productivity improvements, driving rapid market penetration among efficiency-focused healthcare systems.

Digital therapeutics market will exceed $5 billion annually with 5-10% of chronic disease patients using at least one FDA-approved digital therapeutic integrated into their care plans. Medicare Advantage plans will lead adoption through value-based contracts linking DTx utilization to quality bonuses.

Hospital-at-home programs will convert 10-20% of eligible inpatient stays to virtual care delivery, driven by Medicare reimbursement expansion and health system cost reduction pressures. This represents roughly 3-6 million annual admissions transitioning to home-based acute care models.

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What do experts forecast for telehealth trends over the next five years?

Industry analysts project five transformative shifts that will fundamentally alter telehealth market structure and competitive dynamics through 2030.

Full interoperability will embed telehealth seamlessly into all care settings with real-time data exchange eliminating current integration friction. Healthcare systems will operate unified virtual-physical care networks where patient data flows automatically between modalities without manual intervention or duplicate data entry.

AI-driven personalization will enable predictive analytics to tailor care pathways dynamically based on continuous monitoring data, genetic information, and behavioral patterns. This evolution moves beyond reactive telehealth toward proactive intervention triggered by algorithm-detected health changes before symptom emergence.

Expanded digital therapeutics adoption will see widespread insurer coverage and integration into standard clinical guidelines, with DTx becoming routine prescriptions rather than experimental treatments. Medical schools will incorporate DTx prescribing into standard curricula alongside traditional pharmaceutical education.

Global hybrid networks will enable cross-system specialist sharing via telehealth to address workforce shortages, with rural hospitals accessing urban expertise and developing countries leveraging international medical knowledge through secure video consultation platforms.

Telehealth equity initiatives will develop targeted virtual programs addressing social determinants of health for underserved populations, including language-specific platforms, culturally adapted interfaces, and community health worker integration for improved health outcomes in disadvantaged communities.

Conclusion

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Sources

1. LinkedIn - Telehealth Evolution Analysis
2. PMC - Remote Patient Monitoring Study
3. Fierce Healthcare - AI Funding Report
4. Healthcare Technology Report - Top AI Companies
5. BH Business - Click Therapeutics Funding
6. Cardiometabolic Health - AI Startups Report
7. Whereby - Telehealth Future Predictions
8. Drug Topics - Telehealth Preference Trends
9. CHG Healthcare - Virtual Care Future
10. CHG Healthcare - Telehealth Trends
11. Rural Health - Telemedicine Trends 2025