On-Point Documentation

Mind Your Documentation

When considering prescribing an expensive systemic agent, make sure your documentation is on point. Document specific past treatment failures, impact on quality of life, and clinical severity using the research scales in the pivotal studies.

Adam Friedman, MD
Washington, DC

Leave Slack in Your Schedule

Leave urgent slots open in your schedule so your staff members have flexibility to squeeze in patients without having to check with you. There are simply always emergencies, squeeze-ins, favors, and the like. Instead of overwhelming your schedule and forcing your staff and patients to beg to be accommodated, leave a spot open in the morning and another in the afternoon. I guarantee you will fill them; if you do not, you will just run less late, catch up on your paperwork, or finally finish that 3-hour old coffee.

Benjamin Barankin, MD
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Focus on Weight Reduction for Psoriasis Patients

Although the benefit of losing weight for patients with psoriasis is well documented, it is often time-consuming to address this issue in consultation. Weight loss in patients with psoriasis who are overweight/obese produces excellent results both in disease severity and the efficacy and safety of systemic treatments. I always spend part of my consultation time talking with my patients about the benefits of losing weight for easier long-term management of their disease, proposing a low-calorie diet, and sharing with them that I have had good results with a significant percent of patients losing weight substantially.

Tiago Torres, MD
Porto, Portugal