Association of Certified Dermatology Techs

24/01/2025

Not "dermoscopy-related," but many patients are asking us about "beef tallow." Apparently it's a fad being passed around on TikTok?

https://medium.com//beef-tallow-as-a-moisturizer-think-twice-eb3cf20433ce

If you find it helpful, feel free to share with your patients who are asking.

There’s been a buzz lately about beef tallow as a skincare product. Many are jumping on this trend, but let’s take a step back and think…

16/01/2025

Guide for dermatology "front desk" staff to learn more about reading and managing health insurance cards. Covers key elements like Member IDs, group numbers, and payer IDs, with detailed visual examples from insurers such as Anthem, Cigna, and Medicare. In Excited to share "Health Insurance Cards" as the latest installment of the new "Dermatology Front Desk" training course:

https://derm.frontdeskcourse.com/insurancecards

13/01/2025

This lesson focuses on processes and "best practices" for verifying patient eligibility and benefits. Participants will learn effective techniques to ensure accurate and timely verification, minimizing claim denials and enhancing practice efficiency. Training front desk staff for your dermatology practice doesn't have to be difficult!

Learn more at:
https://derm.frontdeskcourse.com/eligben

26/08/2024

The worldwide dermatology community lost a pioneer recently with the death of Dr. Alastair Carruthers. Dr. Carruthers passed away peacefully on August 19, 2024, surrounded by his family. He was 79 years old.

Dr. Carruthers was best known for his groundbreaking work in the development and popularization of the use of Botox for cosmetic purposes. Alongside his wife, Dr. Jean Carruthers, he revolutionized the field of aesthetic medicine by discovering the potential of Botulinum toxin to treat facial wrinkles, transforming the way the world views aging and beauty.

Born in the United Kingdom in 1948, Dr. Carruthers completed his medical degree at the University of British Columbia before specializing in dermatology. His passion for dermatology and his commitment to improving patient care led him to a prolific career that spanned decades. In the early 1990s, he and Dr. Jean Carruthers published their landmark studies on the cosmetic use of Botox, ushering in a new era in non-invasive cosmetic procedures.

Dr. Carruthers was not only a skilled physician but also a respected educator and mentor. He served as a professor at the University of British Columbia and authored numerous articles and textbooks on dermatology and cosmetic medicine. His contributions to the field earned him global recognition, including prestigious awards and accolades from various medical organizations.

Dr. Carruthers will be remembered for his pioneering spirit, his dedication to patient care, and his profound impact on the field of cosmetic dermatology. His work has left an indelible mark on the world, and his contributions will continue to benefit millions of people for generations to come. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him, but his legacy will live on through the countless lives he touched and the groundbreaking work he championed.

08/05/2024

Feel free to share this to your practice's social media 𝗢𝗥 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗲'𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲 (𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗲) 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗰'𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗼. We don't care about "ownership rights" as much as just getting the word out!

05/05/2024

Something to think about when patients report "not feeling well" while using 5-FU...

09/03/2024

Unfortunately, social media is now full of videos which mislead our patients with myths about the nature of skin cancer.
We can't (and shouldn't) limit free speech and alternative viewpoints.
However, it's our duty as dermatology professionals to counter such misinformation with evidence-based truths.

06/03/2024

"(For dogs who accidentally ingest 5-FU) the fatality rates are 64%...

https://academic.oup.com/bjd/article-abstract/182/3/819/6731503

08/12/2023

Friday humor...

27/11/2023

No more struggling to find the perfect gift for your derm friends and colleagues.

Gift cards are now available!

https://youtu.be/4dNm7QLcMWo

04/11/2023

"Eligibility & Benefits" lesson from ADAM's Front Desk training course.

03/11/2023

Live preview of the iPledge lesson within the ACDT "derm tech" training course.

28/09/2023

If you've ever faced the challenge of training a newly-hired dermatology staff member about iPledge, then you understand just how valuable this video will be to your practice!

In this lesson, we start from the beginning and answer the question, "What is iPledge?" From there, we discuss everything that you (or your staff) need to know about registering these patients, performing their monthly visits, and ultimately discontinuing their treatment.

This lesson is part of the comprehensive, online dermatology staff training course offered by the Association of Certified Dermatology Techs.

To learn more, visit us at:

https://learn.dermatoscopes.com/ipledge

10/09/2021

Who is up for a challenge? Take the "dermatology scribe/typing test"!

https://interviewassistant.com/typing-test/

How efficient are you at documenting dermatology visits?To begin a 1-minute "derm notes" typing challenge, just start typing and we'll calculate your Words Per Minute (WPM)

12/05/2020

In case you haven't heard, we're now helping practices take their registration forms from "paper" to "online." This is something we're doing for free, to try and help ease the burden we're all feeling with COVID. Here's an example:

https://go.intellitriage.com/201287977169975

Having forms which can be both completed and signed online not only facilitates telemedicine visits, but also eases the "frustration" patients feel when completing the registration process.

How? Because the forms are "smart"...

There is way less clutter than paper forms. Fields only expand if needed. For example, if someone says they don't smoke, the "For how many years?" field won't even show. But if they say "yes"...then, of course, it will.

Repeatedly entering the same information over and over is virtually eliminated. For example, when the patient first enters their name, then from that point forward, any other areas in which their name is required will then be auto-populated.

The form recognizes gender and age and adjusts the questions accordingly. For example, men will not be asked pregnancy/breastfeeding questions. And once someone is recognized to be under 18, then "adult" questions like occupation, employer, marital status, smoking, drug use, etc. will not be asked.

To do this we're using the same platform previously mentioned in our "Intellitriage" forms.

https://go.intellitriage.com/200910116183948

So if you think your practice could benefit from either form, let us know!

Please click the link to complete this form.

05/06/2018

This is completely unrelated to normal ACDT business, but if any of our cllient physicians, practice managers or members have a friend or family member affected by the volcano eruption in Guatemala and they need help, just let me know as I'm down here now. Please respond to me directly and provide some details such as where they are and what they may need. I wasn't sure if it would make international news, but it now appears to have done so.

If you're not sure what I'm referring to and would like to learn more, just Google "Guatemala volcano" and you can read more about it. But as of now I believe the death toll is around 70, but more importantly for relief efforts, there are many thousands of people displaced, whose homes are essentially buried under ash or burned up in the lava flow.

So just message me if you know of anyone affected. Thanks.

Tim

Timothy August
Association of Certified Dermatology Techs

22/03/2018

Quick video about how threats to our clinic computers (and patient privacy) can come from all directions - including email.
https://youtu.be/v5SpeyRyGb4

Email scams like this are becoming more commonplace. Be careful about this and others in the clinic, or your money, reputation AND patient's PHI will be at r...

02/12/2017

We've put together a quick update for those who have asked us about how MACRA changes the need for medical assistant credentialing. Basically, it relieves practices of the reporting requirement, but not the requirement itself. See here:

https://dermatologytech.org/macra-and-medical-assistant-credentialing/

With the introduction of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA), CMS has changed the reporting requirements for CPOE, though they have not eliminated the requirement itself. Please note the following excerpt from pages 77220-77221 of the Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 214 / Friday...