Dermatologists should avoid non-essential in-person visits. In updated guidance posted today, the American Academy of Dermatology is recommending that any patients scheduled for non-essential or elective services be rescheduled or seen via telemedicine. However, essential, urgent, and high acuity cases should still be treated in the office, which may help alleviate an influx of these patients into acute care facilities on the front lines of the pandemic. COVID-19 is shifting how care is provided nationwide and physicians across all specialties are adapting practice patterns to maintain care while protecting the health of patients and staff. The AAD’s COVID-19 resources include guidance on how to minimize exposure in your office (PDF), including how to screen patients before their visits, managing patients upon arrival and throughout the visit, and cleaning protocols between patients and at the end of each day, as well as practical how-to’s for shifting to telemedicine for non-urgent patients. The Academy has also outlined guidance for members on use of biologics (PDF) given the virus’s greater impact on people with suppressed immune systems and is advocating for changes to iPledge, which currently requires in-person visits. The Academy’s Ad Hoc Task Force on COVID-19 is monitoring pandemic developments daily, assessing the impact on practices, and providing guidance most relevant to dermatologists. The most current information is being posted to www.aad.org/coronavirus as we have it.



