Mark Makhinson, PharmD

The proposed rule on interoperability standards and prior authorization could lead to significant change in CMS.

Panelists discuss how successful access initiatives include integrated specialty pharmacies, community-based clinics, clinical trial opportunities, telehealth services, and financial assistance programs like 340B to serve underserved populations with atopic dermatitis.

Panelists discuss how diverse clinical trial data help build patient trust by demonstrating therapy effectiveness in similar populations and address barriers like health care mistrust and representation in treatment development.

Panelists discuss how recent clinical trials like ADmirable and DISCOVER intentionally enrolled patients with skin of color (Fitzpatrick types IV-VI), demonstrating similar efficacy and safety profiles for biologics across diverse racial populations, with more than 70% achieving a 75% or greater improvement in the Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI-75).

Panelists discuss how historical underrepresentation of patients with darker skin tones in clinical trials has limited understanding of treatment efficacy and safety across diverse populations, hampering real-world clinical decision-making.

Panelists discuss how health care providers need coordinated multidisciplinary care teams, visual resources like databases for eczema in skin of color, peer-to-peer educational sessions, and case-based learning to better recognize and manage atopic dermatitis (AD) across diverse skin tones.

Panelists discuss how treatment access challenges require provider advocacy through peer-to-peer reviews and patient assistance programs, whereas cost-effectiveness evaluation focuses on time to specialist care, therapy duration, and quality-of-life outcomes.

Panelists discuss how biologic therapy selection depends on disease burden rather than just body surface area (BSA), with monitoring requiring objective measures, patient-reported outcomes, and specialized photography documentation for patients with darker skin tones.

Panelists discuss how patients with darker skin tones often experience delayed diagnosis due to misidentification as fungal infections or other conditions, emphasizing the importance of shared decision-making and patient education about the immune-mediated nature of the disease.

Panelists discuss the critical role of effective follow-up and multidisciplinary care in managing hidradenitis suppurativa, emphasizing ongoing patient education, coordinated referrals, and personalized treatment plans to improve adherence and long-term outcomes.

Panelists discuss the importance of clear communication, financial support, and leveraging telehealth and peer networks to improve equitable access and adherence to specialized care and treatment for underserved patients with hidradenitis suppurativa.

Panelists discuss how atopic dermatitis (AD) presents differently across skin tones, appearing as purple, gray, or barely visible inflammation rather than classic redness, with perifollicular prominence and postinflammatory pigmentation changes being more prominent in patients with darker skin.

Panelists discuss how atopic dermatitis (AD) extends far beyond pruritus to include pain, sleep disturbances, psychosocial stigma, and quality-of-life impacts that affect patients’ work, school, and daily functioning regardless of disease severity.

Panelists discuss the challenges of biologic access in hidradenitis suppurativa due to utilization management policies like step therapy, emphasizing the need for patient education, strategic planning, and leveraging resources—including clinical trials—to improve timely treatment and outcomes.

Panelists discuss the anticipated 2026 updates to the American Academy of Dermatology guidelines for hidradenitis suppurativa, highlighting efforts to unify treatment protocols, support biologic access, and accommodate emerging therapies within a rapidly evolving therapeutic landscape.

Panelists discuss how health care professionals face educational gaps in understanding atopic dermatitis (AD) immunopathogenesis, with advanced practice providers (APPS) particularly needing additional training outside standard curricula to master biologic therapy selection.

Panelists discuss how atopic dermatitis involves complex inflammatory and neuronal pathways, with IL-4, IL-13, and IL-31 cytokines driving Th2-mediated inflammation that varies across different racial populations.

Panelists discuss the critical importance of early biologic therapy initiation in hidradenitis suppurativa to prevent irreversible tissue damage, reduce disease burden, and overcome socioeconomic and systemic barriers that delay timely treatment and worsen patient outcomes.

Panelists discuss the challenges and evolving landscape of step therapy protocols in hidradenitis suppurativa treatment, emphasizing the impact on patient adherence, the potential benefits of earlier biologic use, and the need for advocacy to improve access and outcomes.

Panelists discuss key factors influencing biologic selection for hidradenitis suppurativa, including efficacy, safety, comorbidities, and insurance challenges, highlighting the importance of a holistic, multidisciplinary approach to optimize treatment and navigate practical barriers.

Panelists discuss the timely initiation of biologic therapy in moderate to severe hidradenitis suppurativa, emphasizing individualized treatment decisions based on disease impact and quality of life, alongside the potential for improved outcomes and cost-effectiveness through early, aggressive management.

Panelists discuss the importance of coordinated, personalized treatment strategies for hidradenitis suppurativa, highlighting early use of pharmacologic therapies—including biologics—and ongoing assessment to balance clinical effectiveness, patient quality of life, and financial considerations.

Panelists discuss optimizing hidradenitis suppurativa management through early intervention, personalized treatment based on disease severity, and multidisciplinary coordination led by dermatologists to improve patient outcomes and reduce disease burden.

Panelists discuss the significant disparities in hidradenitis suppurativa diagnosis and care, emphasizing the impact of race, gender, geography, and socioeconomic status, and highlighting the need for culturally competent education, expanded access, and community engagement to promote earlier intervention and equitable outcomes.

Panelists discuss the vital role of multidisciplinary collaboration, provider education, and technology integration in improving early diagnosis and comprehensive management of hidradenitis suppurativa, highlighting how coordinated efforts across specialties—including pharmacists—can reduce delays, enhance equity, and optimize patient outcomes.

Panelists discuss the drivers and consequences of delayed diagnosis in hidradenitis suppurativa, emphasizing the need for provider education, clinical decision support, and multidisciplinary collaboration to promote earlier recognition and more effective, coordinated care.

Panelists discuss the challenges of timely diagnosis and comprehensive management of hidradenitis suppurativa, emphasizing the need for early recognition, multidisciplinary care, and empathy-centered approaches to address the physical, emotional, and social burden of the disease.