MMWR QuickStat

Att H1 - MMWR QuickStat

Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report

QuickStats
FROM THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR HEALTH STATISTICS

Percentage* of Office-Based Physicians Using Telemedicine Technology,†
by Specialty§ — United States, 2019 and 2021
100

2019

2021

90
80

Percentage

70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

Total (all specialties)

Primary care

Surgical specialty

Medical specialty

Office-based physicians, by specialty
* With 95% CIs indicated by error bars.
† Telemedicine technology was defined as the use of audio with video or web videoconference for patient visits.
§ Primary care physicians are defined as physicians in the following specialties: general and family practice,
internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, and pediatrics. Surgical specialty physicians are defined as
physicians in general surgery, obstetrics and gynecology surgery, ophthalmology, orthopedic surgery, other,
otolaryngology, and urology. Medical specialty physicians are defined as physicians in cardiovascular
diseases, dermatology, neurology, other, and psychiatry.

From 2019 to 2021, the use of telemedicine technology increased for office-based physicians from 15.4% to 85.9%. In both 2019
and 2021, the use of telemedicine technology was higher among primary care physicians and medical specialty physicians than
it was among surgical specialty physicians. In 2021, 91.4% of primary care physicians, 87.2% of medical specialty physicians, and
74.8% of surgical specialty physicians used telemedicine technology.
Sources: National Center for Health Statistics, National Electronic Health Records Surveys, 2019 and 2021. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nehrs/
about.htm
Reported by: Kelly L. Myrick, PhD, kmyrick@cdc.gov, 301-458-4498; Malikah McNeal, MPH; Carol DeFrances, PhD.

US Department of Health and Human Services/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

MMWR / December 9, 2022 / Vol. 71 / No. 49

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