The Distinctive Dermatologist

In dermatology, the conversation around skin cancer treatment is evolving. This episode of "The Distinctive Dermatologist" features an interview with Adam Lefton, Chief Brand Officer of our sponsor, GentleCure from SkinCure Oncology. Adam produces The Skin Cancer Treatment Journal, an initiative on Substack, that aims to bridge the gap between what patients are told and the full spectrum of available options, emphasizing informed consent. This journal tackles complex topics like policy, incentives, and the trust in medicine, moving beyond traditional marketing to foster thought leadership. It highlights that while Mohs surgery is effective for many, the critical issue is the absence of choice when it becomes the sole presented option, potentially eroding patient trust. The core problem being addressed is the problem where patients assume they are privy to all options, but often are not. This initiative encourages physicians and patients to explore the data, ethics, and realities shaping treatment decisions, ultimately advocating for patient empowerment in healthcare choices. Read more at: https://www.skincancerjournal.com Thanks to our sponsor, GentleCure from SkinCure Oncology, who champion fully informed consent for all patients.

New treatments. New technology. Patients who arrive having already asked ChatGPT. Every practice feels the pressure to keep up. But a practice can adopt every new tool on the market and still leave patients feeling overlooked.

This week, Scott McKain turns to three conversations to explore one question: how do you keep your practice evolving without losing the personal connection patients value most?

What is changing? Dr. Billie Cassé of northern Nevada explains why the innovation in dermatology is really about patient care. Dr. Rania Agha of Oak Brook describes patients who are more informed and more confused than ever.

What must we keep learning? Dr. Bob Haber of Cleveland explains why dermatologists must be both educators and learners. He also shows what happens to trust when patients discover what their doctor didn't tell them.

What must endure? Dr. Agha explains why AI will assist dermatology but never replace the human touch. Dr. Cassé describes building a practice where patients feel like they're home.

Scott closes with a challenge for every practice leader: name one thing your practice needs to change, and one thing you must deliberately protect as it grows.

The Distinctive Dermatologist is brought to you by GentleCure from SkinCure Oncology. GentleCure: tough on cancer, easy on skin. Learn more at GentleCure.com.4

On this week's episode of The Distinctive Dermatologist, we have an encore of our visit with Dr. Robert Haber, MD. He is a Board Certified Dermatologist as well as a Pediatrician, and is a Clinical Professor in the Departments of Dermatology and Pediatrics at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

In his practice, he treats children and adults and provides skin care for the entire family. Dr. Haber is considered one of the finest hair transplant surgeons in the world and lectures internationally each year.

On this episode, we cover multiple topics including how generations are striving to keep a healthy appearance, how communication is different in pediatric dermatology, and the benefits of IG-SRT in treating NMSC. We also address the issue of patient choice and how it contributes to ensuring trust in the physician.

Thanks, as always, to GentleCure from SkinCure Oncology for sponsoring The Distinctive Dermatologist.

Clinical expertise is essential. But what makes patients choose your practice, trust your team, and recommend you to others?

In this encore video episode of one of the most downloaded episodes of The Distinctive Dermatologist in our four-year history, Scott McKain shares highlights from a keynote presentation based on his book, ICONIC, connecting the principles of distinction to the everyday work of building an exceptional dermatology practice.

Explore how patient experience, team engagement, and a clear sense of what your practice stands FOR can help you earn trust, encourage referrals, and sustain relevance.

Whether you're watching for the first time or revisiting these ideas, consider one question: What does your practice want to be known for—and how consistently do patients experience it?

Share this episode with your dermatologists, practice managers, administrators, and care teams to start a conversation about creating a more memorable and meaningful patient experience.

Our thanks to SkinCure Oncology and GentleCure for sponsoring The Distinctive Dermatologist.

Subscribe for more conversations about distinction, leadership, and the patient experience—and share the podcast with a colleague.

When someone is diagnosed with non-melanoma skin cancer, who should decide how it's treated?

Kerwin Brandt, CEO of SkinCure Oncology, makes the case that when an effective non-surgical option exists, the choice belongs to the patient.

Scott and Kerwin explore:

• What patients should ask about non-surgical treatment, and what dermatologists should be telling them
• Why image guidance changes outcomes in superficial radiation therapy
• The "laser graveyard," and why so much expensive equipment ends up unused in the back of the practice
• Why Kerwin believes the standard of care for skin cancer is about to shift, just as it did for breast and prostate cancer
• Technology on the horizon that could show patients exactly what surgery would involve before they decide

If you lead a dermatology practice, this episode leaves you with a question worth asking: is every patient hearing about every appropriate option before a decision is made?

Full disclosure: SkinCure Oncology, the company behind GentleCure, sponsors The Distinctive Dermatologist.

This episode is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Patients should discuss treatment options with their physician.

What makes excellent dermatologic care feel excellent to a patient?

Michael has spent more time in dermatology offices than he ever wanted to. He describes the frustration of repeated visits, long waits, and feeling like a number—and how a simple update from a staff member could change that experience.

Dr. Bob Haber, Dr. Billie Cassé, and Dr. Douglass Forsha offer their perspectives on adapting care to the person, listening with intention, and building a practice where patients feel known and respected. Together, their conversations reveal how much patients remember beyond the treatment itself.

The Distinctive Dermatologist is hosted by Scott McKain. Thanks to our sponsor, GentleCure from SkinCure Oncology—tough on cancer, easy on skin.

What does your practice stand for—and where can a patient see it?

From the first phone call to a conversation about treatment options, every interaction gives your team an opportunity to earn trust.

In this special episode of The Distinctive Dermatologist, host Scott McKain brings together highlights from three conversations with Dr. Rania Agha, Dr. Billie Casse, and Dr. Bob Haber to explore how exceptional practices make their commitment to patients tangible.

You'll hear:

• Why the patient experience begins before anyone enters the exam room.
• How kindness, respect, and intentional hiring shape a practice's culture.
• Why explaining appropriate treatment options and welcoming questions matters.
• How thoughtful referrals demonstrate a commitment to the patient's interests.
• Why the human connection remains central as technology evolves.

Scott closes with a simple exercise your team can use to identify—and act on—one opportunity to improve the patient experience this week.

It's no longer about standing out—it's about what you stand FOR.

The Distinctive Dermatologist is brought to you by GentleCure from SkinCure Oncology. GentleCure...tough on cancer, easy on skin. Our thanks for your continued support of this program.

What does your practice stand for—and where can a patient see it?

From the first phone call to a conversation about treatment options, every interaction gives your team an opportunity to earn trust.

In this special episode of The Distinctive Dermatologist, host Scott McKain brings together highlights from three conversations with Dr. Rania Agha, Dr. Billie Casse, and Dr. Bob Haber to explore how exceptional practices make their commitment to patients tangible.

You'll hear:

• Why the patient experience begins before anyone enters the exam room.
• How kindness, respect, and intentional hiring shape a practice's culture.
• Why explaining appropriate treatment options and welcoming questions matters.
• How thoughtful referrals demonstrate a commitment to the patient's interests.
• Why the human connection remains central as technology evolves.

Scott closes with a simple exercise your team can use to identify—and act on—one opportunity to improve the patient experience this week.

It's no longer about standing out—it's about what you stand FOR.

The Distinctive Dermatologist is brought to you by GentleCure from SkinCure Oncology. GentleCure...tough on cancer, easy on skin. Our thanks for your continued support of this program.

Two of the most distinctive dermatologists we've featured on this program took very different paths to get where they are now. Dr. Rania Agha of Summit Dermatology in Oak Brook, Illinois, immigrated to the United States and spent seventeen years in training. Dr. Billie Casse of Reno, Nevada, was going to be a professional dancer until a hip disease at age ten changed everything.

And yet they arrived at exactly the same place: a practice built on what the leader stands for.

This week, Scott McKain brings the best of both conversations together in a single episode. You'll hear how each of them found her calling, the mentors who shaped them (including a lesson from Dr. Bill Beeson that changed how Dr. Agha practices medicine to this day), and why both doctors, without prompting, said the patient experience starts at the front desk — not in the exam room.

Along the way:

• Why Dr. Agha tells her staff "no patient, no practice" and "one patient lost is a thousand patients lost"
• The "Vice President of First Impressions" and why the title matters
• What Dr. Casse means when she says patients should feel like they're home
• How skin health shapes mental health, and why patients come in for "peace of mind," not a skin check
• Where dermatology is headed — and why AI will assist the dermatologist but never replace the human touch

If you lead a practice, this one comes with a challenge: walk in tomorrow morning as if you'd never been there before, and ask whether what happens at the front of your practice stands for what you say you stand for.

The Distinctive Dermatologist is brought to you by GentleCure from SkinCure Oncology. GentleCure: tough on cancer, easy on skin. Learn more at GentleCure.com.

What makes a dermatology practice truly distinctive?

Sometimes, it's not a dramatic innovation or an expensive investment. It's the accumulation of thoughtful details that tell patients, we cared enough to think about your experience.

In this encore presentation of one of our popular conversations, Scott McKain talks with Dr. Douglass Forsha about the distinctive practice he created in the Salt Lake City area—and the thinking behind an environment that has earned considerable attention from patients and visitors alike.

Dr. Forsha shares how seemingly simple decisions about design, artwork, lighting, finishes, fresh flowers, and other details helped create an office that feels different from the moment patients arrive. Perhaps most importantly, his experience demonstrates that creating a remarkable environment doesn't necessarily require an extravagant budget. It requires intention.

The conversation offers a valuable reminder for every dermatology practice: patients experience far more than the clinical care you provide. They notice the surroundings. They notice the details. They notice how the practice makes them feel.

Clinical excellence may be the foundation, but the total experience can help determine what patients remember, what they tell others, and whether they enthusiastically recommend your practice.

It's a conversation worth hearing again—and an invitation to look at your own practice through the eyes of the patient.

Our thanks to GentleCure from SkinCure Oncology for its continued sponsorship of The Distinctive Dermatologist and for supporting our mission to help dermatology practices create exceptional experiences for the patients they serve.