“With Congress still deliberating the future of telehealth flexibilities, our findings offer crucial evidence that telemedicine can play a modest but meaningful role in lowering U.S. health care’s carbon footprint”
By Nagesh Narayana
Two major studies on telemedicine published this year found an unintended but welcome benefit — in easing patient access and also in reducing unnecessary medical procedures and even saving on carbon emissions.
A UCLA-led study, published today (April 22, 2025) in the American Journal of Managed Care, estimates that telemedicine kept the equivalent of up to 130,000 gas-powered vehicles off U.S. roads every month in 2023. That translates to a reduction of up to 47.6 million kilograms of CO₂ — a striking climate dividend from what was originally seen as a pandemic-era workaround.
“With Congress still deliberating the future of telehealth flexibilities, our findings offer crucial evidence that telemedicine can play a modest but meaningful role in lowering U.S. health care’s carbon footprint,” said Dr. John Mafi, co-senior author and associate professor at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine.
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The research analyzed 1.5 million anonymized virtual care visits — 66,000 of which were in rural settings — conducted between April and June 2023 using data from the Milliman MedInsight Emerging Experience database. Extrapolated, it could reach 1.35 million in replaced personal appointments. In other words, the climate dividend is equivalent to recycling up to four million trash bags per month or 130,000 car trips kept away from the roads monthly.
“The healthcare sector contributes significantly to the global carbon footprint,” added co-author Dr. A. Mark Fendrick of the University of Michigan. “Substituting lower-carbon options like telemedicine for in-person services can meaningfully reduce environmental impact.”
Though the study acknowledged several limitations, including reliance on a single data source and a pre-2023 post-pandemic scenario, the waning use of telemedicine these days could mean the carbon savings seen in 2023 may not be sustained unless telemedicine gains permanent policy support.
In a separate but equally relevant offshoot of telemedicine advocacy, a Mass General Brigham-led study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine early this year, finds that telemedicine may also help curb the use of low-value medical tests, providing another push for affordable health care.
Led by Ishani Ganguli, associate professor at Harvard Medical School, the study analyzed Medicare claims data from more than two million beneficiaries between 2019 and 2022, comparing systems that heavily embraced telemedicine with those that didn’t. Patients in telemedicine systems were found to have received fewer recommendations for diagnostics at seven out of 20 identified low-value tests, including unnecessary cervical cancer screenings, pre-op blood panels, and imaging for uncomplicated back pain. They also saved on fewer visits and reduced expenditures on tests.
“Virtual consultations naturally create friction for tests that require in-person infrastructure — like ECGs or lab work. That slight barrier may give both clinicians and patients a chance to pause and reconsider whether a test is truly needed,” explains Ganguli. “Extending telemedicine coverage doesn’t just expand access — it may also contribute to smarter, more value-conscious care.”
While researchers continue to tally the financial and environmental effects of telemedicine, these two studies reinforce a growing argument in favor of telemedicine as an emerging alternative to provide broader healthcare for more.
So, what came in handy during the COVID-19 pandemic may soon show the path toward an affordable model of healthcare that might yield dividends far beyond the exam room.