Telemedicine goes mainstream: Doctor Now logs over 1.45 million consultations in first half of 2026

Telemedicine, which surged during the COVID-19 pandemic, has quietly become part of everyday life in South Korea — logging record consultation numbers each year and growing into a medical supply infrastructure comparable to the country's top tertiary hospitals.

Doctor Now, a telemedicine platform, announced Thursday that it recorded more than 1.452 million consultations in the first half of this year, counting both remote and in-person visits booked through the platform. The figure represents a year-on-year increase of more than 117 percent, or roughly 2.2 times the volume from the same period last year.

Of the total, telemedicine consultations alone exceeded 1.05 million in the first half — a 65 percent rise from the first half of last year, driven by broad-based growth in covered minor illnesses and chronic conditions.

In-person appointment bookings through the platform grew particularly sharply. The in-person booking service is part of Doctor Now's online-to-offline strategy aimed at putting patients at the center of care. Bookings approached 400,000 in the first half alone, a twelvefold increase from the same period a year earlier.

Among conditions requiring continuous prescription management of 90 days or more — such as hypertension, diabetes and hair loss — the return-visit rate on Doctor Now stands at more than 84 percent. For covered minor illnesses in pediatrics, family medicine and similar specialties, the return-visit rate exceeds 76 percent.

Doctor Now offers a one-stop service covering appointment booking, payment and prescription submission, designed to maximize convenience for users. The platform is also expanding into additional medical specialties, including obstetrics and gynecology.

The number of affiliated medical institutions has grown steadily, despite opposition from parts of the medical community when the service launched. About 2,400 new clinics joined in the first half of this year alone, bringing the total to roughly 8,600 facilities where patients can receive consultations and prescriptions through the platform.

"Monthly consultations through Doctor Now have surpassed an average of 240,000, placing us on par with the top three tertiary hospitals in the country in terms of medical infrastructure," said Jeong Jin-woong, chief executive of Doctor Now. "As demand continues to grow in chronic disease management and covered minor illnesses, we will keep working to deliver lifestyle-oriented services centered on primary care clinics."