About One in Three Americans Used Telemedicine in 2021

A CDC QuickStats from the 2021 National Health Interview Survey shows how many people had a telemedicine appointment — by video or phone with a doctor, nurse or other health professional — in the previous 12 months.

• About one in three people of all ages (32.8%) had a telemedicine appointment.
• Use rose with age, from 17.2% of children under 10 to 45.5% of adults aged 70–79.
• It then dipped to 39.3% among adults 80 and older — similar to adults in their forties, fifties and sixties.

How it was measured

People were asked whether, in the past 12 months, they (or their child) had an appointment with a doctor, nurse or other health professional by video or by phone. Estimates come from household interviews with a sample of the civilian, noninstitutionalized U.S. population; the chart's error bars are 95% confidence intervals.

Sources

• CDC, MMWR, "QuickStats: Percentage of Persons Who Used Telemedicine During the Past 12 Months, by Age Group — National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2021." Reported by Maria A. Villarroel and Jacqueline W. Lucas. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/wr/mm7205a2.htm
• Data: National Health Interview Survey, 2021.
• Rewritten in hubnx's own words.