From the editor
From the Editor
Dr. Schwarzenberger is the former physician editor of DermWorld.
By Kathryn Schwarzenberger, MD, June 3, 2019
You asked, we listened. We had an outstanding response to our readership survey this year (thanks to all of you who took the time to offer your thoughts and opinions!) and, overall, we seem to be doing a good job of offering relevant and timely content to our readers. Many dermatologists trust us as their primary source of information regarding practice management and health policy issues. We got some great suggestions for new topics, many of which have been added to our lineup for the upcoming year, and we heard you about subjects you feel we have covered sufficiently (enough on burnout!). We renewed our commitment to making Dermatology World user-friendly, and as a result, you may notice a few changes in the layout and organization of our magazine this month. We have bundled our columns by subject matter (clinical, practice management, Academy news) to make it easier to find related articles. Our popular feature articles have moved up front in the magazine. To help you not miss any of Dr. Warren Heymann’s popular DW Insights and Inquiries, we added a column in Dermatology World Weekly and the DW print magazine that highlights the latest topics. And, in case you were wondering what happened to Acta Eruditorum, never fear, it’s still here, just renamed Clinical Applications to better reflect the intent of the conversation we have every month with authors of high-impact journal articles.
While the look of DW has changed somewhat, the feel is hopefully the same. We have a great lineup of articles this month that address issues of importance to all of us in practice. Did you realize as a health care worker, your risk of experiencing workplace violence is significantly higher than that of most other workers? I encourage you to read doctor-lawyer Cliff Lober’s Legally Speaking column this month to learn more about early warning signs of impending violence and what steps you and your office may want to take to mitigate this risk. You may also want to learn more about protecting your financial assets in this month’s Money Matters. David Snyder, JD, CLU, offers a helpful guide to the ins and outs of disability insurance. And, of course, we can’t have a complete edition of DW without tackling one of your favorite topics: coding! This month we explore what is, I am sure, a source of frustration to many of you: the Medically Unlikely Edit. If you have ever been denied payment for multiple skin biopsies done at one visit, MUEs are probably the reason. MUEs are rules established by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that define the number of units of a specific CPT code that would “typically” be done on one patient in one day. Any biopsies submitted in excess of these numbers may be denied. While these rules were created to help guard against billing errors, they can be a source of aggravation and potentially lost income if you are not aware of how to navigate them. The Academy offers many other useful coding and billing resources, which you can read about in this month’s In Your Corner!
June brings us closer to July and the Summer Meeting! David Ozog, MD, and members of the Scientific Assembly Committee have put together what promises to be an outstanding meeting, covering hot topics of interest to all who practice dermatology. And who can resist a long weekend in New York City? It’s not too late to make plans to join us. I hope to see you there!
