Policy and Legislative Issues Residents Have to Know About

In episode 19 of Cutaneous Miscellaneous, our host, Nicholas Brownstone, MD, sits down with Aamir Hussain, MD, MAPP, health policy expert and dermatologist practicing in northern Virginia. The episode begins with board review on mastocytosis. Dr Hussain discusses high-yield board review pearls including mutations, lab values, internal manifestations, pathology stains, mast cell degranulators, and morphology. He provides some of his favorite mnemonics to help remember the important points for the exam. In the main part of the episode, Dr Hussain discusses important policy and legislative issues that are affecting dermatology. He begins the episode by discussing the viewpoints of the 2 major political parties in the US. He then discusses the recent Medicare drug price negotiation act and how this will impact dermatologists and their patients before moving into the impending Medicare physician pay cuts. Dr Brownstone ends the episode by asking Dr Hussain what dermatology residents and dermatologists can do to help prevent Medicare pay cuts and how we can best advocate for our best interests as a medical specialty. Listen to this episode and find out how you can learn more about health policy and help protect our beloved field of dermatology!