At the start of the pandemic, telehealth was a quick fix—something employers adopted out of necessity. But in 2025, it’s clear that virtual care is more than a temporary solution. It’s a core part of a modern benefits strategy. As employees expect easier access to care, telehealth offers employers a powerful way to support health, boost productivity, and control costs, all without adding admin work.
First, let’s understand what a virtual telehealth appointment even is. Simply put, a telehealth appointment is a remote consultation between a patient and a healthcare provider. It can happen via video call, secure chat, or even asynchronous tools that collect symptoms in advance of a live consultation.
For employers, the key benefit of telehealth is how it increases access to care while helping teams achieve big-picture goals like productivity, mental wellness, and employee retention. In this blog, we’ll break down how telehealth for employees is evolving, and why it should be a foundational part of your benefits strategy.
Let’s dive deeper and learn what a telehealth appointment for employees can look like. A telehealth appointment allows employees to connect with healthcare professionals without traveling to a clinic. Common services delivered via telehealth include:
Care can be delivered in several formats, including live video, chat-based sessions, or intake forms filled out in advance. These modalities make telehealth both flexible and scalable.
Employees frequently turn to telehealth for conditions like anxiety, colds and flu, dermatology issues, and medication management. In other words, the kind of everyday care that might otherwise be delayed, skipped, or pushed off due to scheduling barriers.
For today’s workforce, convenience, speed, and flexibility aren’t just perks, instead, they’re expectations. Telehealth meets these demands head-on, offering a smarter way to access care that aligns with how people live and work. The benefits go beyond just convenience; they translate directly into healthier employees and stronger business outcomes.
In traditional care models, it can take weeks to see a doctor. Telehealth eliminates that barrier. Employees can get care the same day or even within minutes, depending on the provider network and the platform’s capabilities.
This is especially meaningful for behavioral health and chronic conditions, where delays in treatment can have long-term consequences for both the individual and the employer.
When employees can schedule and attend care from home or during a break, they’re less likely to miss full workdays. That means fewer disruptions and earlier interventions, both of which support healthier, more productive teams.
According to RexCare, employees who use telehealth services report fewer sick days and are more likely to stay engaged in their roles1.
In The 2025 Benefits Divide Report, mental health was the #1 care category searched on the Healthee platform, making up 8.61% of all employee health inquiries2.
Telehealth lowers the threshold to getting help. Employees no longer need to coordinate travel, miss work, or find local specialists — they can access therapy on their own time, often at no out-of-pocket cost. This ease of access is especially critical given rising burnout levels in the workplace.
Today’s most competitive employers aren’t just offering health coverage, they’re delivering health experiences that align with the way people actually live and work. Telehealth plays a major role in that shift. When done right, it doesn’t just improve care access, it boosts loyalty, trust, and long-term employee engagement.
Employees today expect flexibility in all areas of work, including healthcare. Virtual options aren’t just a perk anymore; they’re a baseline expectation.
According to KFF’s Employer Health Benefits Survey, nearly 90% of large employers offered some form of telehealth coverage by 2022, and employee adoption has continued to rise.
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When preventive care becomes more accessible, employees stay healthier longer. And healthier employees are more likely to stay engaged, avoid preventable absences, and recover from illness or stress faster.
Telehealth helps level the playing field for remote workers, hourly employees, and those who may face geographic or financial barriers to in-person care. It’s an equity issue, not just a convenience play.
Every employee deserves access to the same quality of care, regardless of their zip code or job title.
While the benefits of telehealth are clear, adoption isn’t automatic. Employers can offer best-in-class virtual care, but if employees don’t know how or when to use it — or find the experience frustrating — they’ll likely default back to traditional (and often more costly) care. Understanding the common barriers is key to unlocking greater utilization and ROI.
Many employees don’t realize telehealth is included in their benefits package. Others may not know when it’s appropriate to use. That’s where education and communication matter.
With tools like Healthee Connect, HR teams can launch targeted campaigns, reminders, and benefit nudges that demystify virtual care and drive meaningful engagement.
Point solution fatigue is real. Employees are tired of toggling between different platforms for therapy, provider searches, ID cards, and deductible tracking.
Healthee offers a unified experience. Our platform bundles navigation, cost transparency, care access, and telehealth all in one place, making it easier for employees to find what they need, and easier for HR teams to manage vendor complexity.
Standalone telehealth apps can create more work for HR teams and confusion for employees. The most effective solution is one that integrates care access with everything else—like benefits education, plan comparison, and provider directories.
Healthee offers on-demand mental health therapy, year-round access to care, and AI-driven navigation tools, all from a single, secure platform.
Don’t wait until open enrollment to talk about telehealth. Introduce it during onboarding, promote it around major life events, and normalize it throughout the year.
Healthee Connect makes this easy with customizable content, automated reminders, and real-time engagement tracking.
The key benefit of telehealth is clear: it gives employees fast, affordable, and reliable access to care — without sacrificing their time, productivity, or privacy.
In a workplace where flexibility and equity matter more than ever, telehealth isn’t a “nice to have.” It’s essential for any modern, inclusive, and cost-conscious benefits program.
1. Healthee. (2025). The 2025 Benefits Divide Report. Retrieved from https://healthee.com/resources/the-2025-benefits-divide-report/
2. KFF. (2022). Employer Health Benefits Survey – Section 13: Telehealth and Mental Health. Retrieved from https://www.kff.org/report-section/ehbs-2022-section-13-telehealth-mental-health/
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