2026 Virtual Care Horizons: The Year of EXPANSION
The data behind what actually sticks
In 2026, scale alone is no longer the story for virtual care. Growth now depends on what sustains engagement over time.
Based on 1.4 million visits in 2025, the third edition of Virtual Care Horizons reveals where patients return, which programs retain them, and what care models are built to last.
Virtual care has matured. Now performance matters.
Adoption has stabilized. Competition has intensified. Growth is no longer driven by first visits. It’s driven by continuity.
This is the third edition of Wheel’s annual data report. It draws from real patient behavior across 50 states and dozens of care programs. No surveys. No guesswork. Just what people actually do when they seek and return to care.
The 2026 report gives clinical, product, and strategy leaders a clear view into what works across categories, conditions, and life stages.
Top virtual care trends for 2026
How care preferences shift by gender, generation, and life stage.
Women continue to drive the majority of virtual care visits. Midlife women, in particular, are returning for care at higher rates and signaling unmet demand in menopause and hormonal health.
Which treatments act as entry points versus long-term anchors.
High-frequency needs like UTIs, birth control, and GLP-1 programs serve as front doors. Patients who start here often progress into more complex, multi-condition care.
Where patients return, stack services, and build continuity.
Return rates are highest in categories designed for follow-up. The data shows clear pathways from episodic services to sustained, longitudinal care.
How wrap-around services like labs, education, and monitoring support retention.
Programs that integrate diagnostics, medication management, and patient communication are outperforming one-off services on both engagement and outcomes.