Women's Dermatologic Society

  By the WDS Practice Advisory Committee From Dr. Sarah Harvey: The most important feature of a successful partnership is sharing the same values and goals for the practice. It is wonderful to have your own interests, but the values that govern your practice should align and you should be honest and upfront about goals for the future and whether they are compatible. From Dr. Una Miniter: An ideal partnership is mutually beneficial with a non-competitor who has a similar demographic/clientele. An obvious and key partnership is with major referring sources: primary care. For the first referral from an office, call personally with a plan and thank them for the referral. Meet and greet or attend happy hours with other doctors in your area so they can get to know and trust you. Communication is key. Maintain regular and consistent communication with major referral sources. Perhaps you have a med derm or cosmetic niche that other derms in your area do not have. Get to know your colle...

  By the WDS Practice Advisory Committee   From Dr. Sarah Harvey:   The key for me for retaining excellent staff is to ensure that they know they are a valued part of the team. Frequent, specific, positive feedback and expressions of gratitude help my nurses feel appreciated and helps reinforce the qualities I am looking for in my staff. I think it is also very important to listen to any concerns that are voiced or ideas for changes in our process. It can be very disheartening to feel like you are not being listened to and this is a common reason for turnover. The occasional free office lunch or coffee break can go a long way, too!  From Dr. Shawna Flanagan:   Be an office that accepts externs in a Medical Assisting training program. We have a local Medical Assisting vocational program that we participate with and I have hired two of my best medical assistants from this externship. The externship is a great way to get to know someone and experience the “honeymoo...

PAC Pearls from the Women’s Dermatologic Society New Online Digital Evaluation and Management (E/M) Services Codes went into effect on January 1, 2020. Please keep in mind that there are many provisions, which take up a full page in the 2020 CPT book, that have to be met in order to use the codes. Below is a summary of the main points.  2020 Online Digital E/M Service Codes to Note 99421 : Online digital evaluation and management service, for an established patient, for up to 7 days, cumulative time during the 7 days; 5-10 minutes  99422 : 11-20 minutes  99423 : 21 or more minutes Patient Initiated Codes These codes are for established patients only, and must be patient initiated. The patient has to initiate it through a HIPAA compliant platform or secure email. It cannot deal with administrative issues, but rather must have some patient complaint that must not be related to any complaint dealt with by an office visit within the last 7 days....

PAC Pearls from the Women’s Dermatologic Society Difficult conversations can be stressful for everyone involved, especially with employees. However, avoiding these conversations won't make the problem go away. By not addressing the issue, you may be enabling negative behavior and allowing it to affect others. Follow these tips from the WDS Practice Advisory Committee (PAC) for all stages of having difficult conversations with employees. Before the Conversation Before the conversation, identify what corrective actions or problems to address. However, resist the urge to publicly correct the employee. Having a private conversation creates an opportunity to show respect and sensitivity regarding the difficult topic. If possible, be sure to have an office manager present to provide support. During the Conversation During the conversation, ensure you have a clear plan to convey the issue, set expectations for future behavior, and outline a concrete action plan.  Convey t...

Office morale is very important. Low office morale can wreck total productivity, while high office morale can keep everyone not only productive but happy and fulfilled in their work. Signs of low morale include lack of cooperation, few personal conversations, increased rates of turnover, and overall poor performance or attitude. Here are some tips from the WDS Practice Advisory Committee (PAC) on how to improve morale in your practice. Daily Opportunities Inspire your staff and create an environment where they want to help you, rather than just try to stay out of your way. The following suggestions can be implemented daily to encourage positive office morale. Lead by Example The best way to encourage positive attitudes throughout the company is by modeling a positive attitude yourself. Positive energy, as well as negative energy, is contagious and compounding. Say positive things, walk with a smile on your face, and personally greet people when you arrive to work. Your e...

PAC Pearls from the Women’s Dermatologic Society The cost of technology has risen substantially in the last few years. Making smart decisions about adding technology to your practice is critical. Many dermatologists find this decision stressful as a wrong choice can be a burden to your practice for years to come. As dermatologists, we are bombarded with claims, some legitimate and some less so, of fabulous results and “returns on investment”. Technology companies are adept at selling and it is up to us to have the tools to decide the best choice for our practice. This month we are curating tips from the WDS Practice Advisory Committee (PAC) on how to evaluate the best possible technology option for your practice and when to walk away. Once you have decided upon the “perfect” device, have an honest assessment of your practice and never be in a rush to purchase! Understand your Clientele No matter what the newest hottest device may be, do your own homework before starting...

The WDS Practice Advisory Committee (PAC) shares dermatology photography tips including how to take quality photos and save time, before and after photography, dermoscopy and more. Dermoscopic Photography I find it very helpful to monitor pigmented lesions for changes using dermoscopic photography. In order to do this quickly, I have a phone case that is magnetized to hold my dermatoscope in place. Both my dermatoscope and the case are from DermLite. Using an app for EPIC, my photographs can be directly uploaded into the patient's chart for future use. I find this system to be very quick and efficient.  Taking dermoscopic photographs of things that I biopsy has also improved my own knowledge. I review photographs when dermpath comes back to see if there are any features that I can learn from for a particular diagnosis. For anyone who teaches residents, having a library of dermoscopic images can also improve residency training. - Lori Fiessinger, ...

By Dr. Mark Kaufmann The bar has been raised. The amount of MIPS points required to be exempted from the 7% penalty in 2021 (for performance year 2019), is DOUBLE what it was last year. Instead of 15 MIPS points, you now need to get 30 MIPS points. With a little more effort, there is still a way to avoid the MIPS penalty in 2019, and while it’s still possible to do this without using a registry OR an EHR, both of them would make it a lot easier. Here’s how to get it done: If you are a small (fewer than 15 clinicians) practice, each clinician needs to complete five measures on at least one patient. I still recommend that each clinician complete five measures on more than one patient. Any combination of measures will do, and five will give you 15.75 points. In order to get up to 30 MIPS points, you will also need to do a High Weighted Improvement Activity (IA). You can choose any of the high weighted IAs from the 2019 Improvement Activities List , and if you want to do it wit...

The WDS Practice Advisory Committee (PAC) shares their best piece of professional advice to help you succeed in every stage of your career. "If it comes down to your ethics versus a job, choose ethics. You can always find another job.” - Mark Kaufmann, MD “There is never a right time to start a practice. There will always be competing interests and commitments, regardless of the stage in life. Things will fall into place with time and effort, if having a practice is what you want. Just go for it.” - Monica Li, MD, FRCPC, FAAD “When working toward a goal be highly selective in how you spend your most valuable resource: time. If a task does not require your skill set then delegate it or decide it will not get done at least for now.” - Molly Hinshaw, MD “When writing work related emails don't be reactive or quick to hit the send button. If you have any hesitation about how to respond to a situation at work or aren't sure how to word an email correc...

Dermatology conferences and meetings offer great resources to network, learn from industry experts, and bring back useful information which can be used in your everyday practice. The WDS Practice Advisory Committee (PAC) has put together a list of their recommended meetings to attend related to business and practice management for both dermatologists and office managers. AAD - American Academy of Dermatology I love the "Hands On" courses at the AAD! These are a fantastic way to update existing skills and learn new skills one-on-one from experts around the country and world. - Molly Hinshaw, MD ADAM - Association of Dermatology Administrators and Managers Annual Meeting Our office manager feels ADAM, Association of Dermatology Administrators and Managers Annual Meeting, is the most comprehensive and efficient way to learn about changes that happen each year. This meeting happens in conjunction with the AAD. It is better than attending general dermatology meetings...

A collection of PAC Pearls from the Women’s Dermatologic Society Managing staff employment is an essential element to a successful private practice. The WDS Practice Advisory Committee (PAC) has put together a list of pearls to help navigate staff hiring and firing in your Dermatology practice.  1. Hire Slowly and Fire Quickly  Consider a prolonged new employee interview after initial screening, where the candidate spends time in the department they will work in. Get feedback from your current employees and make sure that the candidate is someone they can see themselves working with. Have a 90 day trial employment with assessment by the office manager and the physicians at the end of the 3 months. Be clear that if they are not working out after 90 days, they will be let go. This makes everyone re-evaluate the candidate. If someone is not performing, or is a negative energy in your office, let them go. Delaying firing a weak or negative employee, no mat...