Telehealth is already part of everyday care: CDC’s National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) found that 30.1% of U.S. adults had a telemedicine appointment (by video or phone) in the past 12 months in 2022. If you’re looking at online MSN FNP programs because you want more flexibility in how you work, that’s encouraging, because telehealth isn’t a side path anymore.
It’s also not one type of care, and that’s where good program choices matter. We’ll walk through what the most practical data says about who uses telehealth, where it’s most common, and what that means for choosing an online MSN-FNP that can genuinely prepare you for hybrid care and flexible work options.
Not Everyone’s on Video, But That’s the Point
A telehealth-ready Family Nurse Practitioner is ready for the real world, not the ideal setup. The NHIS definition of telemedicine is broad on purpose: it counts an appointment with a clinician “by video or by phone” in the past 12 months, which is a helpful reminder that phone care still matters.
One reason this matters is that telehealth use isn’t evenly distributed across the country. In 2022, NHIS data showed telemedicine use was 34.2% among adults in large central metropolitan areas, compared with 19.6% among adults in noncore (most rural) areas. That gap isn’t just a statistic, it’s a clue about what your future patients might be able to access.
Regional patterns tell a similar story. In 2022, NHIS reported higher telemedicine use in the West (36.3%) and Northeast (34.6%) than in the Midwest (26.7%) and South (26.1%). If your clinical placements and training never push you to think about those differences, it’s easy to graduate with a “telehealth script” that only works in one kind of community.
There’s another practical layer here: reimbursement. The CDC report notes that reasons for the overall decline in telemedicine use are multifaceted and include “inadequate reimbursement for telemedicine visits, particularly telephone-only visits.” Translation for future FNPs: it’s smart to be skilled in telehealth, and it’s equally smart to learn how to pivot between modalities when policy, payer rules, and patient access shape what’s possible.
That’s why, when you’re scanning online MSN-FNP programs, it’s worth noticing whether they treat telehealth like “video visit etiquette,” or whether they treat it like clinical communication under real constraints. The second option is what builds flexibility you can actually use.
Medicare Doesn’t Test Telehealth, It Uses It
If you want proof that telehealth has staying power, Medicare is a good place to look. CMS’s Medicare Telehealth Trends Report uses Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) Part B claims data plus Medicare enrollment information, covering services from January 1, 2020 to March 31, 2025 (claims received by August 5, 2025). That matters because it’s not a quick opinion poll, it’s built from how care was billed and recorded in a massive public program.
In that report, CMS defines “Telehealth Users” as unique beneficiaries who received at least one telehealth service, including audio-only telehealth. CMS also defines “Telehealth Eligible Users” as beneficiaries who received telehealth-eligible services either via telehealth or in-person, using CMS’s list of covered telehealth services. Those definitions are great for students, because they underline a key truth: telehealth is woven into ordinary care, not separated from it.
Now the trend that should catch your attention. CMS reports 6,971,495 Medicare telehealth users in 2023 and 6,749,825 in 2024, and in both years 25% of telehealth-eligible users received a telehealth service. That level of use is lower than the 2020 peak (48%), but it’s still a meaningful slice of how care is delivered.
There’s also a trust-building detail here that’s worth bringing into your decision-making. CMS includes a disclaimer explaining “claims lag,” meaning a delay between when a service happens and when the claim appears in the database, and notes the data is preliminary and can change as more claims are processed. It’s a refreshing level of transparency, and it’s a good model for how you should evaluate program claims too.
So what does this mean for picking an online MSN-FNP program? Look for programs that help you think like a clinician in a system: documentation habits, workflow awareness, and comfort with hybrid care that doesn’t fall apart when policies or patient access changes. A program that respects the operational side of telehealth tends to produce graduates who can step into flexible roles without feeling like they’re improvising.
Your Telehealth Checklist
Telehealth readiness is deeply tied to who can access care in the first place. NHIS data for adults ages 18–64 in 2022 showed telemedicine use at 31.8% among privately insured adults and 34.7% among adults with public coverage, compared with 11.1% among uninsured adults. That’s not just a coverage statistic, it’s a reminder that flexibility as a clinician includes knowing when telehealth supports access and when it might leave someone out.
Care-seeking patterns also vary in ways that can show up in scheduling and visit design. In 2022, NHIS reported telemedicine use of 33.8% among women compared with 26.3% among men. A program that prepares you to be efficient, clear, and patient-centered in short virtual visits is doing you a favor, because the people who use telehealth aren’t all arriving with the same time, privacy, or support at home.
Here’s the checklist to use while you compare online MSN-FNP programs, especially if your goal is flexible work that still feels clinically solid.
- Training that treats telemedicine as video and phone, matching the NHIS definition and the reality that not every patient can rely on video.
- Structured practice for communication skills that make virtual care safe and effective, including closing the loop on follow-ups when you can’t do a hands-on exam.
- Clinical exposure that reflects geographic and rural realities, since telemedicine use differs meaningfully by region and urbanization level in NHIS data.
- Attention to access constraints CMS calls out, including broadband availability and the effect of state-level policies on delivering telehealth across state lines.
- Clear transparency about what’s measured and what isn’t, taking a cue from CMS’s claims-lag disclaimer and NHIS limitations around visit reasons and modality detail.
Choose the program that helps you become comfortable switching gears. Flexibility in your career is great, and flexibility in your clinical thinking is what protects it. If telehealth use depends on where a patient lives and what coverage they have, shouldn’t “telehealth-ready” mean you’re trained to adjust the plan, not just start the call?
Flexibility You Can Trust
CMS shows that in Medicare FFS Part B, telehealth has settled into a steady rhythm, with 25% of telehealth-eligible users receiving a telehealth service in both 2023 and 2024. That’s good news for anyone considering an online MSN-FNP, because it supports a positive, realistic expectation: telehealth skills can open doors to hybrid roles and more flexible workflows while still serving patients well. The smartest programs don’t promise perfection, they prepare you for variability, and they’re transparent about how training connects to real clinical practice.
So as you compare options, keep your eye on readiness over buzzwords. Pick the program that builds comfort with phone and video care, respects access realities, and gives you repeated chances to practice the kind of communication that makes virtual care feel like real nursing.