Telehealth Isn’t Just for Mental Health Anymore: What International Nurses Need to Know in 2026

Remote care is reshaping the U.S. healthcare system and it’s creating new, high-demand opportunities for international nurses who want to work in America.

A new study published Feb. 17 in the Annals of Internal Medicine shows that while behavioral health visits still make up a significant share of telehealth use, tens of millions of appointments for non-mental health conditions are now being handled virtually as well. This shift has major implications for nurse staffing, care models, and career pathways for overseas nurses looking to build a future in the U.S.

At NurseContact, a digital marketplace that connects international nurses with U.S. employers through a streamlined hiring process, we’re closely watching how telehealth trends are changing the types of roles organizations are recruiting for and what skills nurses need to stand out.

Telehealth Volumes: Mental Health vs. Medical Conditions

Researchers analyzed data from nearly 15,000 Medicare beneficiaries between 2021 and 2023 and uncovered a striking pattern:

• About 31 million telehealth visits each year were for mental and behavioral health
• About 29 million telehealth visits annually were for non-behavioral health conditions

For years, telehealth has been closely associated with psychiatry, counseling, and behavioral health services. Those visits remain a core part of virtual care. However, the study highlights that chronic medical conditions including high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and other common diagnoses—now account for nearly as many remote encounters as mental health.

Study lead author Terrence Liu, MD, an assistant professor of internal medicine at University of Utah Health, noted that his team did not expect such a high volume of non-mental health care delivered virtually. Even if a smaller percentage of medical visits occur via telehealth compared to behavioral health, the sheer prevalence of chronic diseases means the total number of virtual appointments “numbered in the tens of millions.”

What’s Driving Telehealth Growth in Non-Behavioral Health?

Several factors are pushing U.S. health systems to expand virtual care for everyday and chronic conditions:

1. High burden of chronic disease
   Conditions like hypertension, type 2 diabetes, COPD, heart failure and obesity require frequent monitoring, follow-up visits, and medication adjustments. Many of these tasks can be safely and effectively handled remotely, especially when patients use home devices (like blood pressure monitors or glucometers) and share readings during virtual visits.
2. Medicare telehealth flexibilities extended through 2027
   The federal government has *extended Medicare telehealth coverage for routine medical care through 2027. While reimbursement for behavioral health is already well established, this extension gives hospitals, health systems, and clinics more confidence to invest in virtual infrastructure, workflows and staffing for *non-mental health telehealth services.
3. Patient demand for convenient access
   Many Medicare patients especially those with mobility limitations or those living in rural or underserved areas now expect telehealth to be part of their care. Virtual visits reduce travel time, transportation costs, and missed work, making it easier for patients to stay on top of chronic disease management.
4. Health system strategies and workforce challenges
   With ongoing nursing shortages and physician staffing pressures, U.S. healthcare organizations are looking for ways to optimize clinical resources. Telehealth allows them to centralize some services, expand coverage hours, and manage larger patient panels more efficiently often with the help of skilled registered nurses and advanced practice nurses.

What This Means for International Nurses

The rapid growth of telehealth both for behavioral health and non-behavioral health opens new doors for internationally educated nurses who want to work in the U.S. healthcare system. Here’s how these trends translate into real job opportunities:

1. Increased demand for telehealth-savvy nurses

As more health systems build out virtual programs for chronic disease management, primary care, geriatrics and specialty clinics, they need nurses who can:

• Conduct remote patient assessments and triage
• Review vital signs and home monitoring data
• Educate patients on medication adherence, lifestyle changes, and self-management
• Support care coordination between in-person and virtual services
• Document efficiently in electronic health records (EHR) during video or phone visits

This applies across multiple roles, including:

• Outpatient and ambulatory care nurses
• Chronic disease management nurses
• Population health and care coordination nurses
• Telehealth triage nurses
• Nurse practitioners and advanced practice nurses

International nurses with strong communication skills, basic tech comfort, and experience in chronic disease care will be highly attractive to U.S. employers expanding telehealth.

2. New models of hybrid care

The study confirms that telehealth is now embedded in routine medical care not just as a pandemic workaround, but as a long-term strategy. That means many U.S. employers are designing hybrid roles in which nurses split their time between:

• In-person clinical shifts
• Telehealth sessions from a clinic, hospital office, or centralized command center

For international nurses, this can offer:

• More predictable schedules in some roles
• Less physically demanding work compared to exclusively bedside practice
• Opportunities to develop skills in virtual communication, digital tools, and remote patient monitoring

3. Expanded opportunities in primary care and chronic disease

Because conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes are so common among Medicare beneficiaries, nurses who understand chronic disease management are increasingly valuable. Telehealth amplifies that importance by allowing nurses to:

• Follow up more frequently with high-risk patients
• Identify early warning signs before conditions worsen
• Reinforce patient education and self-management strategies
• Reduce avoidable emergency department visits and hospitalizations

International nurses with experience in community health, primary care, non-communicable disease clinics, or cardiac/diabetes education may be especially well positioned for these evolving roles.

Telehealth Policy and Nurse Hiring: Why 2027 Matters

Dr. Liu underscored a key point: as policy makers move toward more permanent telehealth coverage for non-mental health conditions, health systems will have stronger incentives to invest in virtual care and improve its delivery.

For international nurses, this policy direction matters because:

• Stable reimbursement encourages U.S. employers to create and maintain telehealth-focused roles.
• Telehealth-related roles may be part of long-term workforce planning, not temporary pilot projects.
• Organizations are more likely to sponsor international recruitment when they know telehealth services will remain funded and strategically important.

Over the next several years, expect more U.S. hospitals, health systems, physician groups, and community clinics to recruit nurses who can support both in-person and remote care models.

How NurseContact Helps International Nurses Tap Into Telehealth-Driven Demand

NurseContact is designed specifically to bridge the gap between international nurses and U.S. healthcare employers that are modernizing their care delivery models including telehealth.

Through our digital marketplace and streamlined hiring process, we help:

• International nurses
• Discover U.S. employers that offer roles incorporating telehealth, chronic disease management, or hybrid work models
• Navigate licensing, immigration, and credentialing requirements needed for U.S. nursing jobs
• Showcase their experience in patient education, virtual communication, and digital health tools
• U.S. employers
• Access a vetted pool of internationally educated nurses ready to fill critical clinical and telehealth-support positions
• Recruit nurses with multilingual skills that enhance virtual care, especially for diverse patient populations
• Build flexible, future-ready care teams that can deliver high-quality care both remotely and at the bedside

By aligning global nursing talent with emerging care models in the U.S., NurseContact supports safer staffing, stronger care continuity, and better outcomes for patients across both behavioral health and non-behavioral health telehealth.

Building Your Telehealth Skill Set as an International Nurse

If you’re an international nurse aiming to work in the United States and want to be competitive in this evolving landscape, consider:

• Gaining or highlighting experience with chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, heart failure, or COPD
• Practicing clear, concise communication in English especially over phone or video
• Becoming comfortable with basic digital tools like EHRs, teleconferencing platforms, and remote monitoring devices
• Emphasizing any experience in behavioral health, patient education, or counseling, as these skills translate well to telehealth
• Staying informed about U.S. telehealth trends, Medicare policy, and value-based care models

These competencies will not only help you succeed in virtual care settings but also make you more adaptable across the U.S. healthcare system.

The Bottom Line for International Nurses

The latest research on Medicare telehealth use confirms a major shift:

• Telehealth is no longer limited to mental health it now supports tens of millions of visits for non-behavioral health conditions each year.
• Federal policies extending Medicare telehealth flexibilities through 2027 are pushing U.S. health systems to invest more deeply in virtual care.
• This transformation is driving demand for nurses who can operate confidently in both in-person and virtual environments.

For international nurses planning a U.S. career, this is a moment of opportunity. By developing telehealth-relevant skills and partnering with platforms like NurseContact, you can position yourself for roles at the forefront of modern, patient-centered care.

If you’re ready to explore U.S. nursing jobs that reflect the future of healthcare including telehealth and hybrid care models NurseContact can help connect you with the right employer and guide you through a streamlined hiring process from overseas to bedside in the United States.