Navigating the New Dermatology Landscape: Billing, Virtual Care, and the Rise of DermTok
In the past several years, managing and running a dermatology practice has changed drastically. These changes have varied from an emphasis on teaching billing and coding, to the limits of virtual visits and teledermatology, to the role of dermatologists in the ever-evolving world of social media. Several key articles over the past decade have emphasized this shift in practice management.
With respect to training, Paz et al examined the billing and coding acumen of dermatology residents. This is crucial because the increasing complexity of billing costs dermatology practices and the overall healthcare system billions of dollars. They also detail the complexities of an increasingly complex evaluation and management (E&M) system and describe how residents fare in assessing billing questions. Their findings start a conversation on the degree to which billing should be incorporated into dermatology residency training.
Teledermatology started long before the COVID-19 pandemic; however, its relevance has proliferated greatly since the pandemic. In the middle of 2020, Dr. Del Rosso wrote a letter describing the history of teledermatology as well as the changes in reimbursement that occurred during the pandemic. He argued that virtual visits have limited utility for patients with acne and rosacea specifically. As teledermatology became more popular, Drs. Hadeler, Nouri, and I asked if it was improving access or widening disparities. We examined the available literature to discuss the barriers that virtual dermatology created for patients as well as some of its inherent pitfalls. After the COVID-19 pandemic, teledermatology was less at the forefront of dermatology; however, many questions about its utility remain.
Finally, one of the biggest unanswered questions in dermatology is: What is the role of a dermatologist in the era of social media? While social media was previously relegated to a few savvy dermatologists, it has now become nearly ubiquitous. Labadie et al describe the upside and downside of dermatologists becoming more heavily involved in social media. Nearly every dermatologist has considered the benefits and drawbacks of social media for his/her practice, and this article highlights many of the pearls and pitfalls. Within social media, TikTok has been a heavily discussed topic in the dermatology community. Campbell et al examined 400 videos on TikTok pertaining to acne, eczema, psoriasis, and rosacea to help address the available content. They examined the percentage of content created by dermatologists versus patients versus non-licensed “experts”.
Practice management has shifted quickly over the past decade, especially with the rise of virtual care and social media. These changes continue to shape how dermatologists communicate, educate, and run their practices. Staying tuned to patient expectations and digital trends will be key as the landscape keeps evolving.
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