Administrative burden: How the AAD can help you
One of the shocks of the transition from residency to practice is the administrative burden dermatologists face. Top burdens include prior authorization, claims denials, MIPS reporting, and EHR documentation. This growing administrative work reduces time for patient care and can erode work-life balance.
The Academy offers a variety resources to help alleviate your administrative burden. We give you the tools you need for appeals and other administrative processes, so you can get back to patient care.
Prior authorization
Prior authorizations remain one of the top challenges for dermatologists, costing practices an average of $40,000 annually and 3.5 hours of labor each day. To help streamline this process, the AAD offers the Prior Authorization Appeal Letter Tool, which provides more than 70 customizable, clinically specific appeal letters for common dermatologic drugs and conditions.
Each letter includes medical rationales and references from AAD member experts. The letters are reviewed annually to ensure accuracy and alignment with current clinical evidence and practice standards. These resources can help optimize prior authorization workflows and reduce administrative burden while supporting patient care.
Check out these additional resources aimed at ensuring your practice maintains an efficient prior authorization workflow and has integrated the most effective strategies for streamlining your appeals process.
Claim denials and payment reductions
The AAD’s Private Payer Appeal Letter Tool helps practices address claim denials and payment reductions by generating customizable appeal letters for a variety of situations, such as reduced payments for modifier 25, add-on codes, excision repairs, patch testing, or pre-Mohs diagnostic biopsies. This tool supports you in the appeal process as you seek proper reimbursement from insurers.
Explore our insurance and drugs resources to find information on private payer policies and contracts, guidance on step therapy, and assistance with drug pricing.
MIPS reporting
MIPS reporting for Medicare consumes huge amounts of dermatologist and staff time, and the complex and frequently changing requirements make MIPS particularly challenging for clinicians and practice managers to navigate. The AAD offers practical tools and resources to simplify MIPS participation and reduce administrative burden. Visit the MIPS reporting and fee schedule page for detailed information on MIPS categories, reporting options, and hardship exceptions. Start with the MIPS 3-step guide to learn how to participate, avoid penalties, or earn incentives. Use the quality measures selection tool and consider leveraging DataDerm, the AAD’s clinical registry, to streamline reporting and make MIPS compliance easier for your practice. Check to see if your EHR integrates with DataDerm.
EHR documentation
EHR documentation remains the top administrative burden for dermatologists. To help reduce this burden, the AAD offers comprehensive EHR resources. These resources provide guidance on selecting the right EHR for your practice, integrating it with your staff, optimizing workflow after implementation, and tips for efficient clinical note-taking. They also cover the benefits of patient portals and strategies to encourage patient use.
For more solutions on reducing documentation and other administration burdens with health technology, check out the health tech resources page. Learn about three documentation aids designed to streamline your workflow, in-room scribes, e-scribes, and voice recognition software. Also, explore the useful apps, including dermatology-specific apps created by dermatologists for dermatologists, to boost efficiency in EHR-based practices.
As regulatory requirements and patient expectations evolve, adopting the right technology is essential to keep your practice efficient. Technology can streamline workflows, reduce administrative burdens, and enhance patient care. The AAD’s technology solutions guide highlights tools like EHRs, teledermatology, and automated billing, providing practical advice for both adopting new systems and optimizing existing workflows. It covers technology implementation throughout the practice, from building patient engagement and online presence to improving front desk and exam room workflows and extending care beyond the office.
Visiting the technology solutions page highlights key areas where technology can make a significant impact. Pairing it with the office optimization resources provides practical strategies to implement efficiencies and reduce waste throughout your practice.
Additional AAD resources
Erosion of administrative support in dermatology: Read an in-depth DermWorld feature with tactics and resources for combating administrative burden.
This content was created with the particular needs of early-career dermatologists in mind. See the rest of our Career Launch resources for young physicians.
