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Recently, a 27-year-old woman consulted me about hair loss of several years' duration. She was in otherwise good health, and she proved this by showing me an impressive list of perfectly normal laboratory results indicating, among other things, that she did not have anemia or thyroid disease.

Once again, dermatologists and other physicians face the prospects of huge reductions in their Medicare reimbursement rates because of the inability of Congress to resolve the problems imposed by the sustainable growth rate formula (SGR) and must count on, yet again, another temporary reprieve.

With all of the talk about the government's EMR stimulus package, new CPT codes, and the impact of the turbulent economy, you wouldn't pick dress codes as a big concern for medical practices. But as the newest generation entering the work force starts filling positions at your dermatology practice, it won't be long before you, too, may need to establish - or update - your practice's dress code.

Dr. Cosmetic has a thriving cosmetic dermatology practice. He treats thousands of patients each year with a variety of lasers, fillers and botulinum toxins. One year ago, he treated a patient with botulinum toxin who, after paying her bill, died in his office from a heart attack. Although saddened by the death of his patient, he was somewhat comforted by the fact that his treatment had nothing to do with her untimely death.

At age 32, having just become a board-certified dermatologist, Wilma Fowler Bergfeld, M.D., was already feeling antsy about what she would tackle next. So, she set goals one lonely night at her desk, and decided that she would become the first female president of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD).

Rx for Medicine : SGR fix in balance as Senate debates healthcare reform On the Mend? : Fillers, toxins market ‘resilient,’ due for possible bounceback, analyst says Special Report : Wound healing

Physicians' efforts to collect from patients are exponentially better nowadays, but patient statements haven't changed in decades: a slip of paper is popped into an envelope and mailed every 30 days. In this volatile, changing economy, it's time to overhaul your dermatology practice's approach to patient statements.

National report - Chandra, Jordan and Trae Berns have carried severe scars over much of their bodies since the 22-year-old triplets suffered third-degree burns in a house fire at the age of 17 months.