Nebraska OKs Reimbursement for Asynchronous Telehealth in Dermatology

Nebraska lawmakers have approved legislation requiring payers in the state to cover telehealth services provided by a dermatologist on an asynchronous (store-and-forward) platform.

LB 760, signed into law on August 6 by Governor Pete Ricketts, amends the state’s current guidelines to include asynchronous teledermatology, enables payers and providers to negotiate a reimbursement rate for teledermatology services and prevents insurers from excluding coverage solely because the service is delivered on a store-and-forward platform.

The new law shines a light on a popular telehealth service, and one of the original uses for which asynchronous platforms were developed. An asynchronous platform enables patients to enter their health data into an online portal, or fill out a survey or questionnaire, and then send that data on to a provider to review at his or her convenience, within a certain period of time. The provider than sends a diagnosis back through the portal, or messages or calls the patient.

In dermatology, the platform allows primary care providers to send images of patient skin conditions to a specialist, who reviews the images and other data and communicates with the PCP.

State Senator Mark Kolterman, who introduced the bill in January, said the new law “expands access to quality care” by making sure that payers support connected health technologies. In the past, he said, providers who took photos of suspicions skin lesions often found that insurers wouldn’t cover a dermatologist’s review of those photos.

“With a growing trend in skin cancer occurrences in this state, it is imperative that we ensure Nebraskans, no matter where they live, the ability to access quality healthcare via telemedicine, even if the consulting dermatologist is not able to attend the live visit,” he said in a new release.

The asynchronous platform is also popular in direct-to-consumer telehealth programs, particularly those that deal with on-demand care for non-acute conditions like colds and infections. And it’s been gaining ground lately in remote patient monitoring platforms that allow providers to treat patients at home for health concerns like COVID-19.