Legislative & Regulatory Issues

CalDerm serves as the "boots on the ground" team at the state Capitol in Sacramento, monitoring all legislative and regulatory activity that impacts Dermatology and the House of Medicine. Each year, thousands of legislative bills are introduced and CalDerm has its finger on the pulse of these issues, following bills through the various committees and hearings, ensuring that Dermatology has a seat at the policy-making table.  More

Landmark Legislation

In 2011, CalDerm and the AIM at Melanoma Foundation sponsored first-in-the-nation legislation, SB 746 (Lieu), to prohibit minors from using commercial tanning beds. We and our allies successfully moved the bill, committee by committee, house to house, and to Governor Brown's office, where in September it sat awaiting his action.   More

California Medicare Update

CalDerm is a selected member of the CMS Carrier Advisory Committee (CAC) and enables Dermatologists to provide input on policies and patient care that comes under Medicare. While Medicare is a federal program, policy setting, payment processing, and utilization review are frequently within the purview of regional non-governmental carrier contractors. The CAC is comprised of the contractor medical director and representatives from medical specialties.   More
Cracking the Code - a monthly article presented by the AAD on important coding and documentation questions. This month: Complex Repairs by Alexander Miller, CalDerm Immediate Past President

Dermatology practices should familiarize themselves with the latest fee schedule.

Impact of 2013 Final Rule on Key Dermatology Codes: Click Here for a table that demonstrates 2012 Medicare reimbursement rates compared to 2013 rates with and without the SGR (sustainable growth rate) freeze. The SGR freeze is in place until the end of 2013 pending congressional action. Table taken from the American Academy of Dermatology web site.

Allied Healthcare Management

CalDerm receives many calls from our members inquiring about the scope of practice for allied health professionals in their practices. In this section, we are providing Dermatologists with a quick reference to our most frequently asked questions regarding allied health professionals.  More

Clinical Trials for Dermatology

The Northern California Melanoma Center is pleased to announce the opening of a new trail of adjuvant therapy for melanoma: A multicenter double-blind Placebo-controlled adaptive Phase 3 Trial of POL-103A Polyvalent Melanoma Vaccine in Post-resection Melanoma patients with a high risk of recurrence.   More

Patient Safety

CalDerm is committed to patient safety and focused on excessive exposure to the sun and ultraviolet rays including indoor tanning beds. This section provides information on skin cancer screening clinics offered around the country and resources on how to protect your skin.   More