For the first time, a comprehensive national dataset covering all four U.S. Census regions and every age group has confirmed what clinicians and telehealth providers have seen building for years: mental health is not merely a leading reason Americans use telehealth. It is the dominant one by a significant margin in every single demographic and geographic category.
FAIR Health, the independent nonprofit that maintains one of the nation's largest repositories of private health insurance claims, launched its inaugural Quarterly Telehealth Regional Tracker on June 15, 2026, with data covering January through March 2026. The headline finding is stark: nationally, 52.1% of patients with a telehealth claim received a mental health diagnosis in the first quarter of 2026, and mental health conditions ranked as the top diagnostic category not only nationally and in every region, but across every age group, including children ages 0 to 9.
"Mental health conditions constituted the top diagnostic category nationally and in every region, both overall and in every age group," FAIR Health stated in its press release.
What the Data Shows — National, Regional, and Age-Specific Findings
According to the FAIR Health press release, telehealth utilization measured as a percentage of medical claim lines increased nationally and in all four U.S. Census regions from Q4 2025 (October–December) to Q1 2026 (January–March). The full regional breakdown:
- National: 10.1% relative increase (from 5.01% to 5.51% of medical claim lines)
- Midwest: 12.0% relative increase — largest regional gain
- Northeast: 11.8% relative increase
- South: 9.0% relative increase
- West: 8.1% relative increase
The percentage of patients with at least one telehealth claim also increased across all regions: nationally from 17.3% in Q4 2025 to 18.4% in Q1 2026, a 6.3% rise. The largest relative increase was in the Northeast at 7.3%.
Mental health conditions, driven by anxiety and depression, ranked first in telehealth diagnostic categories in every age group and every region. As MobiHealthNews reported, nationally, 52% of telehealth patients had a claim for a mental health condition in Q1 2026. The share was proportionally lower among the very youngest and oldest: 26.9% for children ages 0–9 and 22.0% for adults 65 and older — but mental health still ranked #1 in both groups. The four remaining top-five diagnostic categories nationally were acute respiratory diseases and infections, overweight and obesity, endocrine and metabolic disorders, and joint and soft tissue diseases.
The top procedures matched the diagnostic picture: established patient office or other outpatient services ranked first nationally and in every region. Psychotherapy services and procedures ranked second nationally and in every region — a direct reflection of mental health's dominance in the diagnostic data.
| FAIR Health Q1 2026 Telehealth Key Data | Figure |
| National telehealth utilization change (Q4 2025 to Q1 2026) | +10.1% |
| National telehealth claim line rate, Q4 2025 | 5.01% of medical claim lines |
| National telehealth claim line rate, Q1 2026 | 5.51% of medical claim lines |
| Midwest region increase | +12.0% |
| Northeast region increase | +11.8% |
| Patients with telehealth claim, Q1 2026 (national) | 18.4% (up from 17.3% in Q4) |
| Mental health share of telehealth patients (national) | 52.1% |
| Mental health share, ages 0–9 | 26.9% |
| Mental health share, ages 65+ | 22.0% |
| Urban patients with telehealth claim | 18.6% |
| Rural patients with telehealth claim | 10.3% |
| Rural growth Q4 2025 to Q1 2026 | 7.8% (greater than urban growth of 6.2%) |
| Top procedure category | Established patient office/outpatient services |
| Second procedure category | Psychotherapy services |
Why Mental Health Dominates Telehealth — and What the Data Means
The structural fit between telehealth and mental health care is not coincidental. Unlike many medical specialties where physical examination is central to diagnosis and treatment, mental health care — therapy, psychiatric medication management, crisis counseling — can often be delivered effectively through a video call. Telehealth eliminates barriers that have historically kept millions of Americans from accessing mental health care: geographic distance from specialty providers, transportation challenges, work schedule conflicts, stigma about seeking in-person care, and cost of commuting to appointments.
The CDC data cited by MobiHealthNews contextualizes the demand: 23% of American adults live with a mental health condition, and 6% live with a serious mental health condition. Among adolescents ages 12 to 17, 20% have a current diagnosed mental or behavioral health condition. 19% of U.S. adults have been told they have a depression disorder, 19% an anxiety disorder, and only 14% received counseling or therapy from a mental health professional in the past 12 months — a gap between prevalence and treatment that telehealth is actively working to close.
The rural growth finding is particularly significant from a health equity perspective. Rural patients with telehealth claims grew at 7.8% from Q4 to Q1 — faster than the urban growth rate of 6.2% — even though rural patients remain significantly less likely to use telehealth overall (10.3% of rural patients vs. 18.6% of urban patients). This faster rural growth rate suggests telehealth is expanding access in communities that have chronically lacked mental health providers, an encouraging signal for the health equity implications of virtual care.
The Policy Implications — Telehealth as Mental Health Infrastructure
The FAIR Health data validates a reality that policymakers, insurers, and health systems have been navigating since telehealth's pandemic-era expansion: telehealth is no longer a convenience feature for primary care. It is the structural backbone of mental health care delivery in the United States. That carries immediate policy implications.
The Medicare telehealth flexibilities enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic — which temporarily removed geographic restrictions and allowed mental health services to be delivered from patients' homes — have been repeatedly extended by Congress but have not yet been made permanent. The FAIR Health data provides the strongest population-level evidence yet that those flexibilities are not a temporary adaptation to a crisis but a structural necessity for sustaining mental health care access for the country's most vulnerable populations.
The finding that mental health leads telehealth diagnoses even in the 0–9 age group — representing 26.9% of that group's telehealth claims — is a particularly urgent data point in the context of the ongoing national youth mental health emergency. Children under 10 using telehealth for mental health care at rates that make it the top diagnostic category for that age group signal the depth of demand and the value of virtual access for families navigating pediatric behavioral health.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did the FAIR Health Q1 2026 telehealth report find?
Released June 15, 2026, the inaugural FAIR Health Quarterly Telehealth Regional Tracker found telehealth utilization increased 10.1% nationally from Q4 2025 to Q1 2026, and that mental health conditions were the top diagnostic category nationally, in every U.S. Census region, and in every age group. Nationally, 52.1% of patients with a telehealth claim received a mental health diagnosis.
What is FAIR Health?
FAIR Health is an independent, nonprofit organization that maintains one of the nation's largest repositories of privately billed health insurance claims. Its database is built on commercial medical and dental claims from more than 75 contributors nationwide. Its data covers the commercially insured population and excludes Medicare Fee-for-Service, Medicare Advantage, and Medicaid.
Is mental health the top telehealth diagnosis even for children?
Yes. Mental health conditions ranked first in telehealth diagnostic categories in every age group, including children ages 0–9 (where 26.9% of telehealth claims included a mental health diagnosis) and adults 65 and older (22.0%).
Are rural areas catching up on telehealth access?
Rural areas still lag significantly: 10.3% of rural patients had a telehealth claim compared to 18.6% of urban patients. However, rural growth from Q4 2025 to Q1 2026 (7.8%) outpaced urban growth (6.2%), suggesting telehealth is expanding access faster in underserved communities.
Why does telehealth work especially well for mental health?
Mental health care — therapy, psychiatric medication management, crisis counseling — often does not require physical examination and can be delivered effectively through video. Telehealth removes barriers including geographic distance from providers, transportation, schedule conflicts, and stigma about seeking in-person mental health care. This structural fit explains why mental health has consistently dominated telehealth diagnoses.
