December 2008: New national tariff proposed for Teledermatology

The Department of Health has announced proposals for tariff changes for Payment by Results 2009/10. These incluse the introduction of a non-mandatory tariff for non face-to-face contacts where they replace a face-to-face contact. The exact costing figures are expected later in January 2009. There is currently wide variation in the price charged by individual dermatology departments and trusts for teledermatology services nationally. In the UK some departments currently provide a free teledermatology service, whilst others charge between 30% and 100% of the national tariff for a new out-patient consultation. The introduction of a new specific tariff for non face-to-face consultation will encourage standardisation of payments for teledermatology across the NHS.