Medicare beneficiaries in urban and more densely populated states were more likely to use telehealth services during the first year of the pandemic compared to beneficiaries in more rural states, according to a new report from the HHS Office of Inspector General.
The September report used data from traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage beneficiaries who used telehealth services from March 1, 2020 to Feb. 28, 2021.
States ranked by telehealth usage among Medicare recipients:
Massachusetts: 57 percent
Delaware: 57 percent
California: 52
Connecticut: 50 percent
Maryland: 50 percent
New Jersey: 50 percent
Rhode Island: 47 percent
New York: 47 percent
Arizona: 47 percent
Florida: 47 percent
District of Columbia: 46 percent
New Mexico: 46 percent
Hawaii: 45 percent
Texas: 45 percent
Pennsylvania: 44 percent
New Hampshire: 44 percent
Ohio: 44 percent
Oregon: 43 percent
Michigan: 43 percent
Minnesota: 42 percent
Indiana: 42 percent
Virginia: 42 percent
Kentucky: 41 percent
Vermont: 41 percent
North Carolina: 41 percent
Colorado: 40 percent
Illinois: 39 percent
Georgia: 39 percent
Alabama: 38 percent
Louisiana: 38 percent
Washington: 38 percent
Nevada: 38 percent
Maine: 38 percent
Mississippi: 37 percent
Oklahoma: 37 percent
South Carolina: 36 percent
Utah: 36 percent
Arkansas: 36 percent
Alaska: 35 percent
West Virginia: 35 percent
Wisconsin: 34 percent
Tennessee: 30 percent
Iowa: 30 percent
Idaho: 30 percent
Missouri: 29 percent
South Dakota: 27 percent
Kansas: 26 percent
Montana: 25 percent
Wyoming: 25 percent
Nebraska: 25 percent
North Dakota: 21 percent