January 13, 2021
IN THIS ISSUE / Jan. 13, 2020
CMS implements congressionally mandated adjustments, avoiding steep Medicare cuts
How should dermatologists decide which patients get in-person appointments during a pandemic?
CMS implements congressionally mandated adjustments, avoiding steep Medicare cuts
Weeks after Congress mandated that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services adjust the 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, CMS released the new 2021 conversion factor (CF) and relative value units. The new CF for 2021 is $34.8931, which is a 3.3% reduction from the 2020 CF of $36.0869, but represents an increase from the $32.4085 CMS had planned to implement. The AADA has closely examined CMS’ new data files and confirms that these changes are overall beneficial for dermatologists. Read more and download a table of top dermatology codes or a table of all dermatology codes.
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PPP loan forgiveness 101
Alexander Gross, MD, and Joanne Gross from Georgia Dermatology Center discuss how they successfully obtained Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan forgiveness. “For loan forgiveness, you have to work with the same lender who provided you the PPP loan. The SBA has posted forgiveness applications on their website, so you know exactly what they’re looking for. The fact that we used almost all of the loan on payroll was important for the forgiveness application process.” Read more in DermWorld.
As a result of the December 2020 COVID-related Tax Relief Act of 2020, dermatologists who received PPP loans will now avoid having their loan proceeds included as taxable income. In practical terms, this means that expenses paid through a PPP loan that is forgiven are now tax-deductible. This tax deduction benefit reverses previous IRS and Department of the Treasury guidance that prohibited such expense deductions covered by a PPP loan. Learn more about the this change and get your PPP questions answered.
How should dermatologists decide which patients get in-person appointments during a pandemic?
The Department of Dermatology at Emory University School of Medicine convened a workgroup to develop guiding principles for how dermatologists could prioritize in-person dermatology appointments throughout the COVID-19 pandemic as well as principles for providing total-body skin examination (TBSE) screenings during the pandemic. The workgroup assumed that any dermatologic problem that could be adequately addressed by teledermatology would be handled in that fashion.
The first three principles are grounded in maximizing benefits while the final two principles are rooted in justice and respond to health care access disparities during the pandemic. The first principle states, “Health care providers, other health care employees, and public health officials should be given priority, especially if their skin disease interferes with delivering care or other essential duties.”
The second principle states, “Diagnostic procedures, including but not limited to skin biopsies, should be prioritized because pathologic and/or microbiologic diagnosis often allows for better characterization of risk morbidity and mortality of malignancies, serious infections, and severe inflammatory disorders. ”
Read the complete guiding principles for in-person appointment prioritization as well as the principles for providing TBSE screenings during COVID-19 in JAAD.
Browse the following resources and more at the Academy’s Coronavirus Resource Center.
Managing your business: PPP loans, economic injury disaster loans, Medicare payments to physicians, emergency FMLA, and more
A guide to running your dermatology practice during COVID-19
Clinical guidance: Protecting yourself and staff, PPE and medical supplies, immunosuppressive therapies, and more
COVID-19 vaccines: Distribution, side effects, becoming a vaccinator, and more
Government action: AADA advocacy, federal legislation, CMS regulations, and state responses
Have stretch marks finally met a worthy foe?
According to a study published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, using tasmannia lanceolata extract (TLE) significantly reduces the dermal roughness of stretch marks in women. The double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial included 29 women who presented with noninflammatory and nonpigmented stretch marks of more than six months’ duration.
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TLE and placebo were applied topically every day for eight weeks. After this time, the dermal roughness of the stretch marks was significantly reduced in the TLE group. The dermal firmness of the stretch marks was significantly increased in the TLE group after four weeks, and this improvement was maintained until the study’s completion. Dermal density and thickness were also significantly increased in the TLE group. The authors conclude that TLE could help improve stabilized stretch marks by restoring the matricial environment.
DermWorld consults with toxin experts to highlight exciting new developments in the field including new drugs in the pipeline, new cosmetic and therapeutic indications, and the legacy of botulinum toxin in ‘A golden age of toxins.’
COVID-19 public health emergency extended
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has extended the public health emergency (PHE) an additional 90 days to April 21, 2021. The extension means that all telehealth and other waivers and flexibilities that have been implemented since the beginning of the PHE will remain in effect until at least April 21, 2021.
