Nebraska OKs Reimbursement for Asynchronous Telehealth in Dermatology
Nebraska's governor has signed legislation that requires payers to cover asynchronous telehealth services used by dermatologists.
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By - 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.
