The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) has made a concerted effort in recent years to educate the public and payors about the importance of seeing a board-certified dermatologist for skin conditions.  Quality of care, as well as efficiency, is best delivered by physicians who are specifically trained to treat the roughly 3,000 conditions that fall under the umbrella of dermatology.

Dedicated to Dermatology

Board-certification is an indicator of quality. When it comes to Mohs surgery, a Fellowship-trained designation denotes that a physician has completed years of additional training. Physicians who commit to this level of training are dedicated to providing the highest-level of care possible – and their patients benefit. For example, QualDerm-affiliated Mohs surgeons, who have trained at some of the nation’s top programs, have an average Mohs layer per case of 1.54, which is better than the 1.7 national benchmark. Further, QualDerm-affiliated practices earned a 93% positive rating for patient safety tracking on the 2018 Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Survey. The national average for this metric is 87%.

The link between optimal clinical outcomes and physicians’ clinical autonomy is not a casual one. That is why QualDerm ensures care decisions are left to its physician partners, and why physicians hold leadership roles throughout the organization. In fact, QualDerm’s physician-led Quality Council has launched several initiatives to further enhance the organization’s standards of care and to advance the practice of dermatology.

Specializing in a Specialty

Successfully managing the business side of a dermatology practice also requires specialty-specific experience. Particularly as payment models evolve, a unique understanding of dermatology is required to navigate the new requirements. Two years ago when MACRA mandates went into effect, many dermatology practices were left scrambling to meet the reporting requirements, which were not well suited to the specialty.

Thanks to QualDerm’s experience in the specialty of dermatology, the company’s IT department proactively built the MACRA / MIPS reporting categories in to its affiliated-practices’ Electronic Health Records (EHR) systems. The IT team also worked with QualDerm’s physician partners to tailor the reporting categories to meet the unique requirements of a dermatology practice, then trained the practices’ staffs on the new system. The results are a testament to the benefits of clinical and business professionals working together toward a common goal. QualDerm’s affiliated practices in North Carolina and Ohio earned the highest possible MIPS score of 100% for 2017 clinical performance under MACRA, resulting in reimbursement bonuses.

Learn more about how QualDerm’s healthcare industry experience is helping dermatology practices grow while enhancing quality of care.

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