Dr. Ronald L. Moy, who will become president of the American Academy of Dermatology in 2011, wants to help dermatologists handle regulations and practice hassles during his term in office.
Dermatologists need help as they face mounting requirements from the government and payers related to electronic medical records, pay for performance, and maintenance of certification and licensure issues, he said.
“I think there are all kinds of new legislative [requirements] that are going to be imposed on us and we need to find out what members are really doing and what they want,” Dr. Moy said.
Dr. Moy, a professor at the University of California in Los Angeles, was recently chosen as president-elect of the AAD. He will assume his role as president-elect in March 2010 and will begin a 1-year term as president in February 2011. Dr. Moy currently serves as a member of the AAD's board of directors and is a past president of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery.
As president, Dr. Moy plans to try to better educate the public and policy makers about the expertise that dermatologists have in treating skin, hair, and nail conditions. Everybody wants to practice dermatology these days, he said, so the AAD has to continue to make the case that dermatologists are better educated, and that there are real advantages to seeing a dermatologist.
The scope-of-practice issue has become controversial among AAD members, some of whom have threatened not to give presentations at AAD meetings if the academy allows physician assistants and nondermatologists to attend certain surgical and aesthetic sessions. The issue is currently being studied by the AAD board, Dr. Moy said. The AAD needs to be educating the right people, he said, but the specifics of how to do that are still unclear.
A special focus for Dr. Moy during his term in office will be to promote volunteerism. This may be a tough sell with so many other regulatory and practice burdens facing dermatologists, but it is good for the specialty when dermatologists give back, he said. And he wants to see the AAD make it easier for dermatologists to volunteer their time.
When it comes to the health reform plans being crafted in Congress, Dr. Moy said the AAD has a strong presence on Capitol Hill. His impression is that the reforms under consideration will not have a dramatic impact on medical practice, but AAD leaders are watching carefully as policy makers consider shifting dollars from subspecialty care to primary care. The key, Dr. Moy said, is coming to policy makers with data about the contribution that dermatologists are making to overall health. To that end, the AAD needs to make an investment in research to demonstrate that dermatologists have a positive impact on health outcomes and provide cost-effective care.
Dr. Suzanne M. Connolly, associate professor at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine in Scottsdale, Ariz., was chosen as vice president-elect. She has served on the AAD's board of directors and several other committees. She will be installed as vice president-elect in March 2010 and will begin her 1-year term as vice president in 2011.
The newly elected members of the board of directors are Dr. Ilona J. Frieden of the University of California in San Francisco; Dr. Dee Anna Glaser of St. Louis University; Dr. Mark Lebwohl of Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York; and Dr. Ronald P. Rapini of the University of Texas and the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Their 4-year terms will begin in March 2010. All AAD officers will hold the same positions for the AAD Association.
Who can attend certain surgical and aesthetic sessions at AADmeetings is being studied by the AAD board. DR. MOY