By 2030, one in 10 of all medical visits in the United States could take place virtually, according to ScienceSoft, a US-based AI transformation and software engineering company. Although telehealth adoption has stabilized at a relatively low level since 2022, gradual growth is expected across specialties such as mental health, endocrinology, obstetrics, and primary care. The pace of adoption will likely depend on whether temporary Medicare telehealth flexibilities, currently extended through December 31, 2027, are made permanent, ScienceSoft noted.

The lockdowns enforced by the COVID-19 pushed U.S. health systems to quickly adapt to remote health services, which allowed patients to receive care while minimizing infection risk. Federal regulations were relaxed, and telehealth reimbursement policies were expanded, encouraging providers to incorporate telemedicine services broadly.

Fast-forward a couple of years, and the adoption of telehealth dropped significantly. Still, its usage in the US remained at a higher level than before the pandemic: now, telehealth represents a small but stable share of overall healthcare utilization. According to Epic, the share of medical visits conducted via telehealth has remained at approximately 6–7% since 2022.

Mental health continues to lead telemedicine adoption in the US. In March 2026, the highest share of encounters conducted via telemedicine was in mental health — 28.5%, 17.3 percentage points higher than endocrinology, the second-highest specialty by telehealth use.

At the same time, telemedicine use in mental health has been gradually declining: from 31.8% in April 2023 to 27.9% in October 2025, the lowest level in the analyzed period, and 28.5% in March 2026. Meanwhile, other specialties, including endocrinology, obstetrics, and primary care, have shown modest growth in telemedicine adoption in late 2025 and early 2026.

The persistent demand for online mental health services has fueled the attention of investors. According to the KPMG report on M&A activities in mental health services, private equity firms show interest in investing in telehealth platforms that offer mental health services.

The growth in telemedicine usage during the pandemic stimulated the adoption of e-prescribing in mental health. According to Trilliant Health, in the third quarter of 2023, e-prescribing accounted for roughly one-third of antidepressant prescriptions. This option can help patients avoid unnecessary in-person visits that may cause additional anxiety or be difficult due to distance, cost, childcare, or work obligations.

However, the future of telehealth-based prescribing remains partly dependent on regulation. As of 2026, the DEA and HHS have temporarily extended COVID-era telemedicine flexibilities for prescribing controlled substances through December 31, 2026, but no permanent framework has been finalized yet. If these flexibilities expire without a permanent rule or another extension, providers may again need to conduct in-person medical evaluations before prescribing or renewing certain controlled medications via telehealth.

“After analyzing the regulatory landscape surrounding telemedicine, we came to the conclusion that the future of its adoption — whether it continues to grow gradually or stagnates — largely depends on government decision-makers,’’ ScienceSoft said.

In February 2026, the US government passed and the president signed a funding law extending temporary telehealth rules introduced during COVID-19. The law includes a two-year extension of Medicare telehealth flexibilities through December 31, 2027, and a five-year extension of the Medicare Acute Hospital Care at Home waiver program.

The next two years will be used to develop permanent telehealth policies, said Alexis Apple, deputy executive director of ATA Action and vice president of public affairs at the American Telemedicine Association.

According to the AMA’s guide to the appropriate use of telemedicine, telehealth adoption is slowed by a lack of financial viability. In this regard, state regulations are halfway to meeting the needs of the healthcare community. As of November 2025, 23 US states had implemented payment parity policies, ensuring that telehealth services are reimbursed at the same rate as in-person visits. If the other states follow the general trend, that may become a push towards telemedicine adoption.

More of ScienceSoft’s predictions can be found here.