Something(s) old, something(s) new
From the Editor
Dr. Schwarzenberger is the former physician editor of DermWorld.
By Kathryn Schwarzenberger, MD, FAAD, January 1, 2024
We greet the new year with another edition of DermWorld, filled with what we hope will be especially useful and inspiring articles. The nature of our magazine allows us to move beyond the rigorous bounds of scientific literature to ask “behind the scenes” questions about topics we hope interest our members. Our Editorial Advisory Workgroup does an excellent job of this each month in their ever popular “What’s Hot” columns. This month’s topics range from payer denials to emotional safety in resident education; from mpox to DFSP. Our mpox column may be particularly timely considering a new CDC alert about a new mpox strain that appears to be more severe and infectious than that which caused the original 2022-23 epidemic. Guess it pays to remain vigilant in this ever-changing world!
Viruses of another sort are part of our two-part series on the painful topic of identity theft. The same amazing information network that provides us with instantaneous access to pretty much any data we seek has also made our personal data available to those who know how to access it. Unfortunately, physicians, because of our large data footprints and relatively high earnings, are frequently targets. I heard from many of my colleagues who, like me, discovered that unemployment claims were filed under their names during the COVID epidemic. I learned from that experience and my credit is now frozen, a small act that kept an unknown person from opening a new credit card in my name. I am quite sure we can’t totally prevent identity theft, but there are steps that we can take to help prevent it; at the very least, we can make ourselves less-attractive targets which might, with luck, make perpetrators of identity theft move on to someone else. We hope the steps our experts suggest might be of help to you. Next month, we will explore steps you can take in your practice to keep you and your patients safe from cyberattacks.
Drug shortages. Sigh. Who isn’t tired of hearing about (and dealing with) these? The lidocaine shortage has hit many of our practices hard, requiring some creativity to find alternatives to what we all assumed should be a readily available drug. Assistant Editor Emily Margosian talks with our specialty’s experts to better understand the reasons behind the shortage and to reassure you that the Academy is very aware of the problem. Even more importantly, our leadership and members are actively working on solutions, engaging with legislators and other relevant stakeholders to do all that we can to help us keep lidocaine and other needed drugs available for our patients. What can you do? Be assured that the Academy is responding. Add your voice to our legislative efforts. And keep the feedback coming: let us know if you are encountering issues obtaining needed medications!
And then there is toenail fungus. Not a new topic by any means; however, our approach to diagnosing and treating onychomycosis has fortunately advanced since the days when my fellow residents and I were tasked with growing toenail cultures in vials of DTM medium on our desks. Who will forget that telltale red color? Our onychomycosis feature will hopefully convince you that even with an old topic, there is still more to learn!
There is much to look forward to in 2024, not the least of which is our upcoming Annual Meeting in San Diego March 8-12. If you have not made your plans yet to join us, I highly encourage you to do so! It’s gonna be a great meeting! We look forward to seeing you there!
