Improving nonattendance rates among pediatric patients with Medicaid or private insurance.

BACKGROUND: Access to dermatologists is low among Medicaid-insured patients. Higher clinic nonattendance among Medicaid-insured patients might affect provider decisions to accept these patients. OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of different scheduling policies on the attendance among children seen at a pediatric dermatology clinic. METHODS: In this retrospective review, we compared nonattendance among children for 3 different scheduling policies implemented over 3 consecutive years. The scheduling policies used were a first-available open scheduling policy, a 2-week in advance scheduling policy, and a 4-week in advance scheduling policy. Subset analyses were performed by clinic location and insurance type. RESULTS: The interval between scheduling and appointment date was directly related to nonattendance rates; rates were higher for Medicaid-insured than privately insured patients. Open scheduling was associated with a 37% nonattendance rate for Medicaid-insured patients and 18% nonattendance rate for privately insured patients. A 4-week in advance scheduling policy significantly decreased the nonattendance rate to 19% among Medicaid-insured and 7% among privately insured patients. A 2-week in advance policy further decreased the nonattendance rate to 11% among Medicaid-insured patients and 4% among privately insured patients. LIMITATIONS: This is a retrospective study, and same-day cancellations were not tracked. CONCLUSION: Decreasing the time interval between scheduling and appointment dates can significantly decrease nonattendance. This strategy might help dermatologists incorporate more Medicaid-insured patients into their practices.

A Retrospective Case-Matched Cost Comparison of Surgical Treatment of Melanoma and Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer in the Outpatient Versus Operating Room Setting.

BACKGROUND: To date, no study has used authentic billing data in a case-control matched fashion to examine the cost of treating skin cancer in different settings. OBJECTIVE: To compare the cost of surgical treatment of skin cancer in the outpatient versus operating room setting using matched cases based on patient and skin cancer characteristics. METHODS: ICD-9 diagnosis codes for skin cancers were used to find patients who had a malignant excision current procedural terminology code in the operating room setting during 2010 to 2014. Patient and skin cancer characteristics were used to match cases to those treated as an outpatient. A total of 36 cases (18 operating room and 18 outpatient) had the required information and characteristics to be matched and analyzed for cost. Health status was determined using the American Society of Anesthesiologists anesthesia grading scale. RESULTS: No statistically significant differences were found in the age (p > 0.9) or American Society of Anesthesiologists scores (p > 0.6) of the outpatient and operating room cases. The median cost for outpatient cases was $1,745. For operating room cases, the median cost was $11,323. This was a statistically significant difference (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The outpatient setting remains a cost-effective location to treat skin cancer compared with the operating room.

Onychopapilloma Presenting as Longitudinal Erythronychia in an Adolescent.

We report a case of pediatric onychopapilloma that presented with monodactylous longitudinal erythronychia. Pediatric dermatologists should be aware that this rare, benign nail unit tumor can occur in children. Clinicians should recognize its clinical and histologic presentation and be cognizant of management options.

Bullous Amyloidosis Masquerading as Pseudoporphyria.

Amyloidosis is not a singular disease but describes a group of diseases that result from abnormalities in protein folding and metabolism, leading to ß-sheet polymers and amyloid fibrils. Cutaneous involvement is common and may occur as a primary disorder or secondary to systemic disease. Bullous skin changes, however, are rare occurrences in cutaneous amyloidosis. Bullous amyloidosis presents with characteristic histopathologic, immunohistochemical, and immunofluorescence patterns, all of which allow for careful distinction from other similar diseases. Importantly, bullous amyloidosis should prompt consideration of an underlying diagnosis of a lymphoproliferative disorder. We present the case of a woman who was diagnosed with bullous amyloidosis due to multiple myeloma after an extensive workup initially suggested other bullous diseases. We highlight the importance of recognizing this rare entity to prevent delay in diagnosis and management of its underlying cause.

Dupilumab for the Treatment of Actinic Prurigo.

A 42-year-old Latino man with a medical history of vitiligo presented to our outpatient clinic with a 25-year history of a recurrent, itchy eruption on his face and hands. Physical examination revealed pink, scaly, erythematous, lichenified papules and plaques with overlying crusts, photodistributed on the nose, chin, cheeks, hands, and ears (Figures 1a and 2a). The lips were edematous with hemorrhagic crusting, and conjunctival injection and partial corneal opacities were noted (Figures 1b-1c). Histologic evaluation demonstrated psoriasiform hyperplasia with hyper-granulosis and a superficial perivascular infiltrate composed of lymphocytes, histiocytes, and eosinophils. Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class II typing was positive for HLA-DRB1*0407, thus confirming the diagnosis of actinic prurigo (AP).

Molluscum BOTE sign: a predictor of imminent resolution.

Molluscum contagiosum is a common self-limited viral skin infection. The course of the infection often includes tender, crusted, erythematous lesions that prompt suspicion for bacterial infection. However, these signs of inflammation represent a host response that often precedes resolution of the viral disease, rather than bacterial superinfection, and do not require additional antibacterial treatment. We present a case report and retrospective review of 7 additional cases to characterize the clinical presentation of inflamed molluscum, assess the utilization of medical resources, and consider the psychosocial burden associated with mistaken diagnoses of bacterial infection. We propose the acronym "BOTE"* sign (for beginning of the end) to help underscore the significance of inflammation as an expected variant in the evolution of molluscum immunity.