New recommendations for detecting noninvasive
melanoma published
New consensus-based recommendations for the use of noninvasive melanoma detection
techniques — including total body photography (TBP), serial digital dermoscopic
imaging (SDDI), and reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) — have recently been
published in JAAD.
A committee of thirteen dermato-oncologists evaluated 24 clinical scenarios
regarding noninvasive melanoma detection techniques from which 11 consensus-based
statements (if ≥75% of the committee members agreed or strongly agreed) were
generated.
Approximately 91% of members strongly agreed on the use of TBP for patients with familial
atypical multiple mole melanoma syndrome. The majority of participants also
agreed on the use of TPB for adult patients with >50 nevi who also have a
history of multiple cutaneous melanomas or amelanotic melanoma and/or a genetic
syndrome predisposing them to cutaneous melanoma.
Committee members mostly agreed (82%) on recommending SDDI for monitoring “ugly duckling” nevi with equivocal dermoscopic features. Approximately 90% agreed on
recommending RCM for assessment of dermoscopically equivocal pigmented lesions
in either cosmetically sensitive areas or areas prone to slow or insufficient
wound healing.
Learn more about how dermatologists are key providers in the multispecialty care of
melanoma in Dermatology
World.
DW Insights and Inquiries: The naked truth about total body
skin examination — A lesson from Goldilocks and the Three Bears
In my last 13 years of immersion in dermatology, I have often asked this simple yet elusive question of my superiors, my colleagues, and myself: Which patients need skin checks? As I peruse my clinical schedule, in which the majority of patients receive total-body skin examinations (TBSE), there lies a persistent impediment — there are patients who want to be seen “too often,” some that are seen “too little,” and others that seem “just right.” Akin to the fairy tale by Katharine Pyle, Goldilocks and the Three Bears (1918), the age-old dilemma of balance, namely that of time, risk-based resource management, and patient preference, shapes each clinical day. How do we curate a clinical schedule that targets patients who need our prevention and care the most? Keep reading!
Apply or nominate a colleague for Advocate of the Year
Each year, the AADA recognizes outstanding grassroots advocacy efforts through the Advocate of the Year Award program. The Advocate of the Year is awarded to one AADA member who sets an example for their peers by undertaking a significant amount of advocacy endeavors on behalf of the specialty at the state and/or federal level. The goal of the award is to promote year-round advocacy and acknowledge the positive effects of a single advocate. Apply or nominate by Nov. 22.
Health Affairs highlights dermatologist voices in new series
Nearly 85 million — or one in four — Americans were seen by a physician for skin disease in 2013. Skin disease, which ranges from acne to skin cancer to chronic conditions like eczema, is now more common than all cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.
Skin disease is serious: Of 24 skin disease categories explored in the American Academy of Dermatology’s Burden of Skin Disease study, half were fatal. These skin diseases caused 22,953 deaths in 2013 according to the same study. And, on average, those who died of skin disease in 2013 died at an age five years younger than those who died of all causes.Read more from Academy President George J. Hruza, MD, MBA.
Starting Jan. 1, 2020, CMS will only accept claims that list patients’ new Medicare Beneficiary Identifiers (MBI). CMS is replacing the Social Security number-based Health Insurance Claim Number (HICN) with a MBI on the new Medicare cards. Until the end of the year, CMS will accept either the HICN or the MBI for CMS claim adjudication. For patients who have not communicated their new MBI, physicians can access a secure MBI search tool through their Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC). For more information, visit www.cms.gov/newcard.
MIPS extreme and uncontrollable circumstances policy expands to new areas
In response to Hurricane Dorian being declared a national disaster, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has determined that the automatic extreme and uncontrollable circumstances policy will apply to MIPS-eligible clinicians in FEMA-identified areas in North Carolina and South Carolina.
Clinicians participating in MIPS in these areas will be automatically identified and receive a neutral payment adjustment for the 2021 MIPS payment year. All four performance categories during the 2019 performance period (Jan. 2 - March 31, 2020) will be weighted at 0%, resulting in a score equal to the performance threshold. If the identified MIPS clinicians choose to submit data on two or more MIPS performance categories, they will be scored on those categories and their 2021 payment adjustment will be based on their 2019 MIPS final score.
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