Annals of Internal Medicine: A New Equilibrium for Telemedicine: Prevalence of In-Person, Video-Based, and Telephone-Based Care in the Veterans Health Administration, 2019–2023
Though audio-only telehealth utilization has largely returned to pre-pandemic levels among veterans, video-based telehealth accounts for 11 percent to 12 percent of outpatient care, a 2,300 percent jump from pre-pandemic levels. Researchers examined in-person, audio-only, and video-based virtual visits across three periods: before the pandemic, that is, before March 11, 2020, during the pandemic from March 11, 2020, to May 10, 2023, and after the pandemic, that is, after May 11, 2023. The study shows that the VA had, on average, 1.14 million primary care, subspecialty, or mental health visits weekly and 4.9 million visits monthly.