AAD Speakers Address Future of Dermatology

Hello and welcome back to my general dermatology blog. My name is Sudhir Polisetty and I am a practicing General and Surgical Dermatologist. Recently there has been discussion about the future of dermatology and the challenges facing dermatologists because of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). In fact, this was the subject of many speakers at the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) annual meeting plenary session.

At the meeting, associate professor and vice-chair of dermatology Jack S. Resnick Jr., MD, noted that often, our specialty is behind the curve when it comes to innovation and if we do not adapt, we run the risk of being commoditized and marginalized. He claimed, “We really need to think about how we would design the perfect physician-led team to provide the best care. We let the market drive it instead, and we’re playing catch up.”

Teledermatology, a subspecialty of dermatology that I covered in my last blog post, involves exchanging medical information over large distances using telecommunication technologies. Resnick mentions this subspecialty as an area with huge potential growth.

Most of the changes facing dermatologists are a result of the ACA. This act includes reforms intended to reduce cost; shift toward quality over quantity; and increase coverage and affordability. To do so, a number of mechanisms have been put in place that change the dynamic of dermatology. Limiting provider networks and the pressure to create larger physician groups are just a few of the modifications.

Brett Coldiron, MD and future AAD president encourages dermatologists to become more involved with their specialties and organizations like the American Medical Association. Coldiron claims, “We can no longer thrive as a small isolated specialty outside of organized medicine and politics in general. The forces of change are hard upon us. … Our work is cut out for us.”

View a full summary of the event’s discussions here: http://www.healio.com/dermatology/practice-management/news/online/%7B6aba59dc-76d2-4ebf-8a0f-1a7a502c4b49%7D/aad-speakers-address-the-future-of-dermatology

Thanks for reading!
Sudhir Polisetty

Learn more about me on my Expertfile profile, or by viewing my listing on Manta: www.manta.com/c/mt4gf8f/sudhir-polisetty-md‎

Mobile Teledermatology Shows Potential for HIV Patients

Welcome back to my general dermatology blog. My name is Sudhir Polisetty and I write this blog to help others stay abreast of interesting dermatology research and headlines. Today’s blog concerns a new study appearing in JAMA Dermatology about the potential to improve access to care for HIV-positive patients.

Face-to-face evaluations by a board certified dermatologist is the golden standard of dermatology, so little research is available on the effectiveness of mobile teledermatology. The study’s authors note that few have investigated this format’s reliability and validity while none, to the researchers’ knowledge, have used the technology in sub-Saharan Africa among HIV-positive patients. They hoped this study would provide a better understanding of whether mobile teledermatology would produce valid assessments when measured against face-to-face consultations.

The cross-sectional study in Gaborone, Botswana, evaluated 76 HIV-positive patients aged 18 years and older. Each of these patients had a skin or mucosal condition that had not been previously evaluated by a dermatologist.” To make accurate comparisons, researchers began by having patients evaluated in person by a board certified dermatologist. Next, their vitals and photos taken with a 5-megapixel camera were collected and transmitted via mobile phone to a password-protected website. A team of three dermatologists and one oral medicine specialist were then tasked with providing a diagnosis based only on the info collected remotely. Researchers also assessed test-retest reliability by asking the same specialists to make recommendations a few months later without looking at their previous comments.

Specialists agreed with their initial primary diagnoses between 52 and 80 percent of the time. Agreement between primary diagnoses from face-to-face evaluations and mobile teledermatology ranged from 47 to 57 percent while agreement on how to treat the primary diagnosis ranged from 32 and 51 percent. Researchers concluded that much work is still left to be done in order to optimize and validate the use of teledermatology on a large scale.

Learn more about the study in this write-up from Healio Dermatology: http://www.healio.com/infectious-disease/dermatology/news/online/%7B7a32becd-9f87-4ea0-b93c-54636a512e57%7D/mobile-teledermatology-shows-potential-for-hiv-patients

Thanks for reading,
Sudhir Polisetty

You can learn more about me on my Zerply profile, or on the US News & World Report: http://health.usnews.com/doctors/sudhir-polisetty-696608