Telehealth Is Doing More Than Just Mental Health—Here's What New Data Reveals

Telehealth has quietly become a major tool for managing chronic diseases, with nearly 29 million annual visits for conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure—almost matching the 31 million mental health telehealth visits. A new study of nearly 15,000 Medicare patients across the country reveals that virtual care is far more versatile than most people realize, and it's especially valuable for people managing ongoing health conditions.

What's Really Happening With Telehealth Beyond Mental Health?

Researchers at University of Utah Health examined Medicare visit data from 2021 to 2023 and discovered something surprising: telehealth isn't just for therapy sessions or psychiatric appointments. The study, published in Annals of Internal Medicine, found that nearly half of all telehealth visits address non-mental health conditions.

"We were surprised at the number of non-mental health conditions, like high blood pressure or diabetes, that were commonly addressed through telehealth," said Dr. Terrence Liu, assistant professor of internal medicine at University of Utah Health and the first author on the study. "Even though a smaller percentage of these visits were conducted through telehealth, because these are very common conditions, the total number of estimated visits was very similar to telehealth visits for mental health conditions, numbering in the tens of millions."

The sheer volume matters because these chronic conditions require frequent monitoring and medication adjustments. When patients can access care from home, it removes friction from the healthcare system and makes preventive management more realistic for people juggling multiple health challenges.

Who Benefits Most From Virtual Preventive Care?

The research reveals an important pattern: people with the greatest health vulnerabilities are the ones using telehealth most. The data shows that telehealth users are more likely to report limitations in daily activities like bathing and getting dressed, and they tend to report worse overall health compared to those who use in-person care exclusively.

This suggests telehealth serves a critical function for populations that face the biggest barriers to traditional healthcare access. Consider these groups who benefit from virtual preventive care:

• People with mobility limitations: Those who struggle with activities of daily living can receive care without traveling to a clinic or waiting room.
• Patients managing multiple chronic conditions: Frequent check-ins for diabetes, high blood pressure, and other ongoing conditions become more feasible when visits happen at home.
• Medically vulnerable populations: People with worse overall health status report using telehealth more frequently, suggesting it helps overcome barriers they face in traditional settings.

"If you're able to receive care at home, then it can potentially overcome some of those barriers," Dr. Liu explains. This is especially important for preventive care, where consistent monitoring and early intervention can prevent serious complications.

Why Does This Matter for Your Health Maintenance?

The findings have real implications for how healthcare systems should support preventive care going forward. Right now, telehealth coverage remains uncertain for many chronic disease management visits, which creates confusion for patients trying to plan their care.

Dr. Alexander Chaitoff, assistant professor of internal medicine at University of Michigan and second author on the paper, notes that clarity matters: "Navigating the insurance labyrinth of Medicare, Medicare Advantage, and supplemental plans is already a complicated task for any older adult. Having more certainty on whether their telehealth care will be supported on a more permanent basis could be helpful, given how important it is for managing chronic conditions".

The study examined data from a nationally representative sample of nearly 15,000 Medicare users, making the findings broadly applicable to how older Americans access preventive care. The research was supported by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Health Services Research and Development Service.

As healthcare systems continue to evolve, the evidence is clear: telehealth isn't a temporary pandemic-era workaround. It's become a permanent part of how people manage chronic diseases and access preventive care. Dr. Liu concludes: "It's hard to imagine going back to a world where telehealth is a tiny fraction of all the health care that's delivered. It's not the predominant mode of delivery, and it still has issues that need to be worked out. But I think with greater confidence and support for making telehealth coverage more permanent for non-mental health conditions, health systems will have additional incentive to invest in it and find ways to improve it".