Telehealth Use Increased more than 50-fold for Primary Care Visits and Behavioral Health Services in Early Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Telehealth facilitates medical care, allows for the sharing of health information, and offers patient health education through remote communication. In 2020, the onset of the public health emergency prompted many localities to restrict in-person gatherings to prevent transmission of the virus. Health care providers responded by expanding telehealth services in an effort to continue serving their patients. At the same time, federal and state governments, as well as commercial insurers, introduced policy and coverage changes to make telehealth more accessible.

To understand changes in telehealth utilization over the first year of the pandemic, we explored trends in monthly telehealth utilization for two types of telehealth services: primary care and behavioral health. These services are important to patients who need...

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