Few words make a dermatologist grimace more than ‘iPLEDGE.’
From the Editor
Dr. Schwarzenberger is the former physician editor of DermWorld.
By Kathryn Schwarzenberger, MD, FAAD, August 1, 2024
Since its inception in 2005, the rigorous and often unyielding pregnancy risk mitigation program has made treating cystic acne a true challenge. While we all support safe use of teratogenic medications including isotretinoin, regulations in the original iteration of iPLEDGE proved to be onerous, frustrating patient and physicians alike, and often resulting in significant delays in treatment. The original iPLEDGE rules failed to recognize the diverse needs of patients whose gender identity does not allow them to be simply classified as “male” or “female.” The AAD has pushed back for many years and successfully advocated for changes that will make engaging with iPLEDGE simpler and more meaningful while still achieving the original safety goals of the program. Read about these changes in our feature article this month. I think you will agree the battle was worth fighting.
The iPLEDGE saga is a wonderful example of the impact our members can have in the advocacy arena. AAD members are truly the experts when it comes to the diseases we treat and the jobs we do. We understand the impact of these diseases (and the treatments we use to treat them) better than most on the outside who, for good or bad, control how we practice medicine. We can influence so many aspects of health care, ranging from the way we treat diseases to the systems in which we deliver our care. We can have a significant impact, but only if we engage. Dr. Melissa Piliang, chair of the Academy’s Council on Government Affairs and Health Policy, offers ways you can engage to help support the Academy’s main advocacy priority this year: Medicare physician payment reform. If legislative policy is not your thing, there are many other possible arenas in which you can engage. Find your passion and help fight for what you believe in. You can make a difference!
Life is about balance, or so they say. After spending years ensuring we did not violate HIPAA regulations, we now must be careful not to be guilty of “information blocking.” Hopefully, this is not a new concept to you, but there is a good possibility that you or someone you know may be unknowingly violating the rules governing the access, exchange, and use of electronic health information. The violation I most often encounter is an office requiring a patient to sign a release of information before sharing medical records with another treating physician. While HIPAA never intended to block the flow of information between treating physicians, the fear of violating HIPAA has led to unnecessary roadblocks in many cases. The new regulations could now get you penalized. If you read nothing else this month, I encourage you to read Legally Speaking this month to make sure you and your practice are covered.
As a “mature” dermatologist who has been around for a while, it is always exciting to read our clinical articles and see what we know now that we did not know before about complex skin diseases. Scarring alopecias have long been some of our least understood and most challenging conditions to treat. This month, we discuss exciting advances in our understanding of the pathogenesis of central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia and frontal fibrosing alopecia. Much has been learned, but there is still more we need to know. So many times, for all the answers I can give, I rarely have a good response to the question “but why me?” Maybe not today, but perhaps in the future. Today, we carry on.
