ACMS Congressional Briefing

Mohs College Educates Congress on Skin Cancer

On May 17, 2012, as part of Skin Cancer Awareness month, the American College of Mohs Surgery (ACMS) sponsored a congressional briefing - Winning Against the Skin Cancer Epidemic - to raise awareness about the growing skin cancer epidemic and explore opportunities to address this escalating health issue through prevention, treatment and public policy. A crowd of more than 40 congressional leaders, including Representatives Scott DesJarlais (R- TN- 4) and Jim Cooper (D- TN- 5), legislative staff, and other advocates, gathered in the Rayburn House Office Building to discover that skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States, impacting more than two million Americans each year, and that more new cases of skin cancer are diagnosed each year than the combined incidence of cancers of the breast, prostate, lung and colon.

Ali Hendi, MD, a private practicing Mohs Surgeon in Washington, DC and Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at Georgetown University Medical Center, provided a detailed look at available skin cancer treatment options, including Mohs Micrographic Surgery. Michel McDonald, MD, a practicing Mohs surgeon in Nashville, TN and President of the Nashville Academy of Medicine, followed with statistics on the increasing incidence of skin cancers in the United States, with a focus on growth in the Medicare population. Dr. McDonald also discussed costs associated with various skin cancer treatment modalities and how each treatment compared in term of cost, quality and effectiveness. Brent Moody, MD, a practicing Mohs surgeon in Nashville, TN and Chair of the ACMS Public Policy Committee, concluded with the Mohs surgical community's response to the growing epidemic through high-quality, cost-effective treatment to eliminate skin cancers. Dr. Moody also discussed recent scrutiny by public and private payers and efforts by the Mohs College to educate medical directors, regulators and policy makers on the growing skin cancer epidemic and the value of Mohs Micrographic Surgery in addressing skin cancers.

Members of the audience engaged in a brief dialogue following the informational session, asking about the difference between various skin cancers and sharing personal stories about their experiences and exposure to skin cancer.

The Mohs College continues to educate members of Congress, their staff, and policy makers at the local and national levels, raising awareness to the epidemic of skin cancer and ongoing efforts of the Mohs surgical community to address skin cancer through prevention and high-quality, cost-effective treatment.