UV Safety Awareness Month July 2023
Published on
Wednesday, July 12, 2023
July is UV Safety Awareness Month. A related RealTime Medicare Data (RTMD) infographic in this week’s newsletter focuses on Medicare Fee-for-Service claims data related to the treatment costs of Melanoma.
Did You Know?
Anyone can get skin cancer, but people with certain characteristics are at greater risk—
A lighter natural skin color.
- Skin that burns, freckles, reddens easily, or becomes painful in the sun.
- Blue or green eyes.
- Blond or red hair.
- Certain types and many moles.
- A family history of skin cancer.
- A personal history of skin cancer.
- Older age.
Why It Matters?
Basal and Squamous Cell Carcinomas
According to the CDC (https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/skin/statistics/index.htm), skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. “An examination of Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data suggests that each year, about 6. 1 million adults are treated for basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas at a cost of about $8.9 billion.”
These numbers have increased exponentially from 2022 when the panel survey data suggested that each year about 4.3 million adults are treated for basal and squamous cell carcinomas at a cost of about $4.8 billion.
Melanoma
Following are recent National Cancer Institute cancer facts about melanoma:
- In 2020, there were an estimated 1,413,976 people living with melanoma of the skin in the U.S.
- Represents 5% of all new cancers in the U.S.
- Is more common in men than women.
- Is most frequently diagnosed among people ages 65-74 with a median age at diagnosis of 66.
- In 2023, it is estimated that there will be 97,610 new cases of melanoma of the skin and an estimated 7,990 people will die of this disease.
https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/melan.html
What Can I Do?
Be proactive in lowering your risk for melanoma and other skin cancers by following key sun safety tips from the FDA ( https://www.fda.gov/drugs/understanding-over-counter-medicines/sunscreen-how-help-protect-your-skin-sun):
- Limit time in the sun, especially between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when the sun’s rays are most intense,
- Wear clothing to cover skin exposed to the sun, such as long-sleeved shirts, pants, sunglasses, and broad-brimmed hats.
- Use broad spectrum sunscreens with SPF values of 15 or higher regularly and as directed.
- Reapply sunscreen at least every two hours, and more often if you are sweating or jumping in and out of the water.
Also, be mindful that certain medications can cause sensitivity to the sun, for example:
- Antibiotics (ciprofloxacin, doxycycline, levofloxacin, ofloxacin, tetracycline, trimethoprim),
- Antihistamines including Diphenhydramine (common brands include Benadryl and Nytol),
- Oral contraceptives and estrogens, and
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (ibuprofen, naproxen, celecoxib, piroxicam, ketoprofen).
You can read more about this on the FDA website (https://www.fda.gov/drugs/special-features/sun-and-your-medicine).
Article Author: Beth Cobb, RN, BSN, ACM, CCDS
Beth Cobb, RN, BSN, ACM, CCDS, is the Manager of Clinical Analytics at Medical Management Plus, Inc. Beth has over twenty-five years of experience in healthcare including eleven years in Case Management at a large multi-facility health system. In her current position, Beth is a principle writer for MMP’s Wednesday@One weekly e-newsletter, an active member of our HIPAA Compliance Committee, MMP’s Education Department Program Director and co-developer of MMP’s proprietary Compliance Protection Assessment Tool.
