CMO Update February 16, 2022 As many predicted, the current Omicron surge seems to be declining as swiftly as it rose. This good news coupled with the generally milder Omicron symptoms has shifted public sentiment more toward acceptance of the situation and away from debilitating fear. The protective impact of natural immunity from prior infection has also gained more validation as scientists better understand how the memory B-cell response of our native immune system may be even better at combatting variants than prior vaccines. Furthermore, there are now more strategies to employ: ICU management protocols; vaccines from various manufacturers; numerous oral medications for both treatment and prevention; and new monoclonal antibody therapies. And finally with widely available and free rapid test kits, the public can feel more secure at work, at home, when attending larger gatherings and while traveling that sick individuals are identified earlier and know to stay away. The BA.2 ‘stealth’ variant of Omicron has been recently identified globally and in the US. But most experts are not highly concerned that BA.2 will evade immunity or cause more serious illness.

US deaths have finally started to decrease after peaking with Omicron at 75% of the 2021 winter surge.

I am also pleased to report that most experts predict the US will soon be entering the endemic phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, which means the coronavirus will continue circulating in the population (like influenza and other cold viruses) but the numbers of cases remain fairly constant. There is enough immunity from prior infection and/or vaccination that cases don’t rise dramatically, and severe disease, hospitalization and death do not completely disrupt our lives and economy. Those at higher risk due to immunosuppression, advanced age and complex medical conditions will likely need to continue mitigation strategies like masking in public and avoiding large gatherings. There may also be booster shots in the future, depending on the type of new variants that arise and how well our natural immunity holds up. Overall, however, I am encouraged that the worst is behind us. At QualDerm we seem to be on the backside of our peak of staff and provider infections following the holidays and patients appear to be cancelling and rescheduling fewer appointments.

Given the persistent nature of coronavirus in our world, we do need to continue maintaining our safety protocols in our dermatology practices. We have many elderly and immunosuppressed patients and some teammates who trust us to feel supported and safe. So please consider them as you ensure proper PPE protocols and universal precautions in the office setting. Our vocation in health care remains ‘do no harm’ and we appreciate everyone’s responsible focus on safety throughout this fatiguing pandemic.

QualDerm's Quality Council One of QualDerm’s core missions is to provide both safe and high-quality dermatologic care. The pandemic forced us to focus more acutely on safety. But now that we are turning the corner on the pandemic I am pleased that our physician-led Quality Council is now reconvening to address a number of priorities to help differentiate QDP as the best dermatology group in the country. Dr. David Brodland from Zitelli & Brodland in Pittsburgh, PA has assumed leadership of the Quality Council and we have engaged an even broader representation of QDP providers to drive our programs. Please thank our lineup of volunteer experts who are working to further enhance how patients, colleagues and our communities put their trust in “The QualDerm Way”. https://www.qualderm.com/about/leadership/ The Quality Council agenda for 2022 includes a Virtual Grand Rounds to share interesting patient cases via teleconference that are educational or would benefit from input from our numerous experienced dermatologists across our network. We have so much talent within our ranks that we want to further leverage it for our patients and fellow providers. Our transition to Modernizing Medicine EMR over the next 6 months will also facilitate our efforts to extract meaningful data from a universal EMR to develop Quality Measures to benchmark our QDP providers against internal and external peers. This continuous focus on quality improvement helps drive change and make us the best possible providers for our patients. We have subcommittees for APPs, Cosmetic, Mohs and DermPath initiatives to develop best practices and are striving to gain more experience with Clinical Trials to afford our patients access to cutting edge therapies and our doctors with opportunities to publish and present the results. We are always seeking input from our teammates so please contact us if you have ideas or would like to contribute.

Board Certification in Mohs Micrographic Dermatologic Surgery This past October, the American Board of Dermatology offered the first ever subspecialty Board Certification exam in Mohs surgery. This represented the culmination of more than a decade of work by multiple specialty societies to achieve formal recognition of our specific subset of skills and training in the areas of skin cancer management. Board Certification is the single most important credential that patients and health care institutions use to judge a physician’s competence. Fellowship training has been one traditional method that remains important, but until this time Mohs surgeons did not have a universally recognized way to distinguish themselves. The exam required months of preparatory study and was a challenging 4 hour test (especially to those of us with gray hair!) I am very pleased to announce that overwhelmingly our QualDerm Mohs surgeons took and passed this examination and we can highlight to our patients, referring physicians and other dermatology companies that our Mohs surgeons are 100% fellowship trained and/or board certified in Mohs surgery. This is a mark of excellence we are very proud to highlight!!

Those of you near NC experienced a beautiful Saturday that made me long for an early Spring. I hope Punxsutawney Phil was wrong and we all get to break out our sunscreen sooner than later. This hilarious tweet may remind you of one of your clinic’s providers! ~ Dr. A

Questions or Comments?

Please send any questions or comments to the QDP Health Information inbox: health@qualderm.com