Barriers to teledermatology’s growth slowly breaking down

MAUI, HAWAII — Some of the long-standing obstacles that hinder dermatologists’ ability to practice telemedicine are finally breaking down, according to a speaker here at Maui Derm for Dermatologists 2020.

“Right now, most teledermatology is being done in academic centers,” Neal Bhatia, MD, a dermatologist in private practice in California, said. “The second most common place is the [Veterans Affairs] health system. But I'm predicting the future: every one of you will have at least some experience with telemedicine.”

He explained how one of the biggest barriers to dermatologists offering telemedicine — reimbursement — is slowly being overcome.

“It turns out that almost every state, through Medicaid, reimburses dermatology,” Bhatia said. “There is less uniformity in reimbursement through other payers. But there are some states who are enacting legislation to allow reimbursement for teledermatology that is equivalent to an in-person office visit.”

The other big barrier to practicing teledermatology — that dermatologists could only provide teledermatology to patients in the same state where they have a license — is also slowly being overcome, according to Bhatia.

“There are now 20 states that allow an interstate medical license contract,” he said. “In other words, if you have a medical license in your state, you're allowed to do teledermatology in another state. This is accomplished by reciprocation with your medical license.” Bhatia added that the number of states offering the interstate medical license contract seems to be “slowly increasing.”

He predicted that these developments will increase the number of dermatologists who treat patients via telemedicine.

“If reimbursement is not an issue, and licensure is not an issue, more of us will do teledermatology. We'll be able to bring dermatology to places that don't have it,” Bhatia said. – by Janel Miller

Reference: Bhatia N. New drugs and therapies: 2020. Presented at: Maui Derm for Dermatologists; Jan. 25-29, 2020; Maui, Hawaii.

Disclosures: Bhatia reports professional relationships with 12 companies including Almirall and Biofrontera.