Most people know that you should schedule an annual checkup with your primary care physician and visit the dentist regularly for cleanings. But what about preventive skin care? Should your employees see a dermatologist, and if so, where do dermatology costs fall under your health benefits plan?
While dermatologists themselves recommend one annual visit for a full-body check at minimum, the Skin Cancer Foundation says you can get a full-body skin checkup as part of your annual physical with your general practitioner, who will then refer you to a dermatologist should something be amiss. So if you aren’t doing so already, encourage your employees to get annual physicals in order to catch problems early.
But whether your employees see their primary care doctor or a specialist, they need to keep an eye on their skin. The body’s largest organ, it does its job so well that we often forget that it needs medical attention, too.
To keep reading, click here: Controlling Costs: Dermatology
Note: I realize this is pretty far off my normal topic. Anthem asked me to write this, I said, “are you sure?” they said yes. It was super fun to research something outside my area of expertise! Now I know a lot more about dermatology. 🙂
An interesting article on the shortage of dermatology care in the US:
https://yourdoctors.online/2017/09/14/dermatology-doctors-lacking-healthcare-problems/?utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F
1. Definitely see your GP for the screenings annually. You don’t want to wait for it to be critical.
2. The US needs to address the insurance issue, ASAP, and not just in reference to dermatology. When you have to see a Dr for a likely malignancy, a six week wait for an “In-Network Doctor” should not be a thing.
Definitely. Melanoma spreads quickly. It needs to be dealt with as fast as possible.
I would love to schedule an annual skincare checkup at a dermatologist but they are classified as a specialist which means that you need a referral from your regular doctor who will only do so if you make them examine and decide that you need to be referred. (In other words, be your own advocate). But be prepared to pay out of pocket for visit costs, unless claims for visit are proven necessary by arbitration.
There’s a lot of well care that is not covered in the US, but assumed should be covered. This is why healthcare coverage needs to be individualized for specific needs not generalized as present setup is in US. Changes are needed for this to occur.