A large retrospective cohort study analyzed outpatient visits across five hospitals within the University of Pennsylvania Health System (Penn Medicine) from January 1, 2019, to September 30, 2024. The study included 46,149,734 visits among 2,248,341 patients.
Telemedicine surged from 1% of visits pre-pandemic to 17% in April 2020, before stabilising at 4-6% from 2022 onwards. Usage was higher among patients living far from care, those using patient portals, lower-income patients and those seeking primary care. Conversely, older adults, men, and patients from minority ethnic groups used telemedicine less — highlighting persistent disparities in access.
The authors conclude that while telemedicine has become a lasting feature of healthcare delivery, targeted policies are needed to ensure equitable access for all patients regardless of age, ethnicity or socioeconomic status.
Read more at this link on the Journal of Internal General Medicine
Citation
Zhang, B., Li, L., Lu, Y. et al. Temporal Trends and Sociodemographic Differences in Telemedicine Utilization, 2019–2024. J GEN INTERN MED (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-025-09964-y