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As the world grappled with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth emerged as a critical tool for delivering medical care while minimizing the risk for virus transmission. Telehealth visits increased from 5 million to 53 million for Medicare recipients in 2020. While usage levels peaked during the pandemic, they remain higher than pre-pandemic levels.

Physicians quickly adapted to virtual platforms, conducting consultations, monitoring patients remotely, and delivering mental health services via telemedicine. This rapid transition ensured patient safety and highlighted the potential of telehealth to enhance access to care, particularly in underserved communities.

Since that unprecedented surge in usage, driven by the need to maintain continuity of care while adhering to social distancing, telehealth visit volume dropped from 76.6 million visits in the second quarter of 2020 to 41.5 million visits in the fourth quarter of 2022, a 45.8% decline, according to Trilliant Health, a market research firm. Four years post-pandemic, how is telehealth faring today? Head over to Medscape to read the full story.