Updated: November 2026
Telehealth is now a routine practice for many: patients can remotely access healthcare services and providers can quickly consult with other specialties, helping expand their ability to treat their local communities.1,2
In the past six years, hospitals across the US have significantly adopted and expanded their telehealth offerings due to new waivers and reimbursements that came with the COVID-19 pandemic.1,3
The federal government's recent two-year extension of telehealth flexibilities will likely lead hospitals and health systems to continue growing remote service offerings moving forward.4
Telepharmacy is an especially critical component of that strategy—not as a short-term fix but rather a long-term part of acute care given its significant financial, operational, and clinical impact.
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1 American Hospital Association. Fact sheet: telehealth. April 2025. Accessed February 24, 2026. https://www.aha.org/system/files/media/file/2025/02/Fact-Sheet-Telehealth-20250207_0.pdf
2 Telehealth Resource Center: what is telehealth? ASHP. Accessed February 24, 2026. https://www.ashp.org/pharmacy-practice/resource-centers/telehealth
3 Kane CK. Patient-Facing Telehealth: Use Is Higher than Pre-Pandemic but with Great Variation Across Physician Specialties. American Medical Association. Policy Research Perspective report 25-1457183:pdf:11/25. November 2025. Accessed February 24, 2026. https://www.ama-assn.org/system/files/2024-prp-telehealth.pdf
4 Bruce G. Health systems to expand telehealth after 2-year Medicare extension. Becker’s Hospital Review. February 13, 2026. Accessed February 24, 2026. https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/healthcare-information-technology/telehealth/health-systems-to-expand-telehealth-after-2-year-medicare-extension/
5 Telehealth policy updates. US Dept of Health & Human Services. Updated February 5, 2026. Accessed February 26, 2026. https://telehealth.hhs.gov/providers/telehealth-policy/telehealth-policy-updates