News

Your front desk personnel are what your patients first see when they walk into your dermatology practice.

Many investors and savers prefer to make their own investment decisions. However, unless you are well-informed and have clear goals, those investment decisions could do more harm than good.

Q I know that Medicare has reversed its decision to apply the Multiple Surgery Reduction Rule (MSRR) for Mohs codes retroactive to Jan. 1, 2007. My question is that many of my non-Medicare, commercial carriers are still reducing the Mohs and/or the repair if performed on the same date of service. What can I do to get them to comply with the Medicare rules? - Reduced To Tears

Dermatology malpractice suit rates are well below that of other specialties, but trends indicate an increase in suits in the future.

Electronic prescriptions are only part of the ongoing changes that will be part of the electronic medical record. What are the movers and shakers doing to be sure that all of this works smoothly?

Can an on-call physician specialist's refusal to come to the emergency room lead to a malpractice case? Although some jurisdictions have considered the on call agreement between a physician and his/her hospital enough to establish a physician-patient relationship between the patient in the emergency room and the on call doctor, most courts rule along the lines that if the doctor never provided any care, treatment or advice concerning the patient's condition, the requirement of establishing a physician-patient relationship had not been met.

Sunscreens continue to stream onto the shelves, offering a wide variety of options and ingredients. Knowing what's available and how they work is key to keeping patients properly informed.

Male and female mice react differently to UVB exposure, calling into question the true basis behind higher incidences of skin cancer in men. Is it really because men spend more time in the sun, or is that a fallacy?

National report - Dermatologists can offer patients some guidelines for shopping for sun-protective clothing, says Kathryn Hatch, Ph.D., professor, agricultural and biosystems engineering department, University of Arizona College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Tucson, Ariz.

Garments can be a very effective sun protection device. However, there are both advantages and disadvantages when compared with sunscreen. Understanding and disseminating information on what's out there is key to effective garment use.

Tailoring messages about the risks of sun exposure will effectively educate teens about the dangers of outdoor and indoor tanning and encourage them to practice sun-safe behavior, according to pediatric dermatologists.

Hamilton, Ohio - Ohio could become the first state to protect all minors from harmful tanning parlor rays, says Louis L. Barich, M.D., past president of the Ohio Dermatological Association (ODA) and co-chair of ODA's Photobiology Educational and Legislative Committee.

Amid continued public patronization even in the face of increased awareness of the dangers, tanning remains at the center of debate among doctors and the tanning industry.

The sunshine and vitamin D debate rages on, with doctors disagreeing on how much vitamin D people should have on a daily basis - and on how that vitamin D is obtained - through supplements or sunlight.

Scottsdale, Ariz. - Medicis Pharmaceutical has received Food and Drug Administration clearance to market Perlane, a thicker formulation of the company's injectable dermal filler Restylane, for correction of moderate-to-severe facial folds and wrinkles.

Medicis' recent $9.8 million settlement of a whistleblower lawsuit stemming from alleged improper marketing of Loprox inspired the company to beef up its compliance program, a Medicis spokesman says.

There is more to treating skin of color than meets the eye. Cultural influences can be important factors in patients' maladies as well as issues of noncompliance and treatment choices. Learning about the culture is as important as learning about the physiology.

Dermatologist Robert S. Kirsner, M.D., Ph.D., has run five marathons - crossing the finish in one last year in an impressive 3:36.

Elk Grove Village, Ill. - Physicians who practice with compassion and know their limits are better able to treat their patients, according to Michael Greenberg, M.D., a dermatologist practicing in Elk Grove Village, Ill.

Virtually every modifier came about in response to some abuse by physicians that has been identified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Professional financial planners have no incentive to get you to do a lot of buying and selling. They charge an annual fee based on the size of your investment portfolio.

You will need to refurbish everything from patient registration to back-end claims processing to make sure those high-deductible patients pay what they owe.

New understanding about the pathogenesis of cardiocutaneous desmosome disorders is providing clues for early diagnosis and perhaps, one day, treatments, an expert says.

Clinical trials are necessary before products can be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and often afterward, as product safety and efficacy are further investigated.

Dermatologists and other physicians are facing another battle over Medicare fees, with a 9.9 percent cut looming for 2008 unless Congress steps in and provides another one-year fix - or manages an unlikely long-term solution to the problem.

Recent regulations may bar, for the very first time, expert advisers to the FDA who receive money from either a pharmaceutical or device manufacturer from voting to approve that company's products.

The software salesperson painted a rosy scenario of a physician walking from exam room to exam room with a Tablet PC, and by typing a few key strokes, generating a complete office note, prescriptions, a referral letter and instructions for the front office staff.

Understanding the basic concepts of cutaneous immunology, and specifically, the immunology of psoriasis, is vital to successfully embracing newer biologic therapies.