How should managed care treat onychomycosis

UNLABELLED: This activity is designed for leaders and managers of managed care organizations and for primary care physicians and specialists involved in evaluating, treating, and caring for patients with onychomycosis. GOAL: To help health professionals care for patients with onychomycosis through a discussion of new treatment choices that exist due to recently approved oral antifungal agents for this chronic medical condition. OBJECTIVES: 1. Review the anatomy of the nail unit in relation to the pathogenesis, epidemiology, and clinical features of onychomycosis. 2. Stress the importance of confirming the diagnosis of onychomycosis using relatively simple and cost-effective laboratory procedures, since there are many other nonfungal conditions that can pathologically involve the nail unit. 3. Detail the ways in which onychomycosis can adversely affect a patient's quality of life. 4. Analyze the change in treatment patterns brought about by newer potentially curative oral antifungal therapy. 5. Identify potential problems with onychomycosis oral antifungal therapy, including dosing issues, possible adverse events, and drug-drug interactions.