When most people hear the term “Telehealth,” they think video calls. However, the truth is that phone calls, not video, are the most commonly used form of Telehealth. Telehealth is now being used by most Americans, so understanding HOW they are using it matters.

According to the National Cancer Institute’s Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS 2024) — a nationally representative study weighted to reflect the full US adult population — 34.47% of US adults used telehealth in 2023–2024. That’s roughly 1 in 3 people. And when you look at how those visits happened, a clear picture emerges: phone calls are the primary channel.

Telehealth =  phone calls, not video

Out of the 1 in 3 people who used telehealth, about 30% used the phone exclusively. Another ~50% used the phone at some point — either on its own or alongside video. Add those together, and you’re looking at 80% of telehealth users who relied on the phone for at least part of their care.

Video-only is the minority here, despite being the assumed way that Telehealth is used. 

This is extremely important for healthcare organizations’ outreach. If your patients are already receiving healthcare through their phone, they’re probably expecting other healthcare communication — reminders, follow-ups, care coordination calls — to come through the same way. The phone is not just how they talk to their doctor; it is how they expect their doctors to talk to them.

Smartphones are basically universal — even for older adults

Part of what makes phone outreach so viable is the almost-universal adoption. HINTS 2024 found that 93.8% of US adults reported that they used a smartphone. That is almost the entire population. Broken down by age range, the adoption rates are:

• 18–34: 98.00%
• 35–49: 98.41%
• 50–64: 96.55%
• 65+: 80.64%

That last number is the one worth really thinking over. More than 80% of Americans 65 and older use a smartphone. Many people and organizations assume older adults are mostly unreachable by phone, but this data proves the opposite. The reality is that phones are not popular only among younger generations, but across almost every age demographic. The device is there. The question is whether they will pick up when you call.

Older patients lean on the phone the most — and they’re the ones who need outreach most

Here’s where things get interesting from a healthcare outreach standpoint.

When you look at how telehealth users 65+ are connecting with their providers, they’re leaning on the phone more than any other age group. The percentage of telehealth users relying on phone (exclusively or combined with video) by age:

• 18–34: 54.44%
• 35–49: 40.52%
• 50–64: 48.11%
• 65+: 61.30%

Older adults — who statistically have more chronic conditions, more ongoing care needs, more touchpoints with the healthcare system — are also the ones most likely to be doing their telehealth by phone.

But here is the problem that is created: if an older patient is already using the phone for their actual telehealth visits, what happens when they get a call from a number they don’t recognize? There’s a decent chance they don’t pick up. And if they don’t pick up, the outreach fails — not because they aren’t using their phone, the timing was wrong, or the message was bad, but because the call looked like spam.

What does this mean practically?

A few things worth thinking about:

Telehealth is mainstream now. 1 in 3 adults using it in a year isn’t a niche group. It’s a patient population that cuts across every age group and condition type. Organizations that haven’t thought about how outreach fits into the telehealth journey should probably start.

The phone isn’t going away. There’s sometimes an assumption that video will eventually replace phone-based telehealth as people get more comfortable with technology. Maybe. But right now, the majority of telehealth interactions involve the phone, and that’s been true even as video options have gotten easier and more accessible.

Older patients deserve a phone experience that inspires confidence. For the 65+ population — the demographic most likely to have ongoing, complex care needs and most likely to rely on the phone for telehealth — an unrecognized or unidentified call is a real risk. It directly affects whether those patients stay connected to their care.

A branded, recognizable call isn’t just convenient. For these patients, it can mean receiving vital care.

The big takeaway: telehealth is phone call-based more often than most people realize, and the patients who rely on it most are the ones most likely to screen unrecognized calls. Building outreach around that reality — rather than assuming video is the default — is where healthcare organizations need to shift their focus.

Source: National Cancer Institute Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS), 2024. All statistics are weighted to represent the US adult population.