This Article  • Full text  • PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

We read with interest the article by Chen et alv¹ on the cost-effectiveness of therapeutic modalities for psoriasis. The authors are to be congratulated for embarking on a much needed study. However, we have substantial concerns about the validity of the analysis.

The results showed that Goeckerman therapy was more cost-effective than liquid methotrexate in severe but not mild or moderate psoriasis. The authors appear to have either entirely omitted or grossly miscalculated the costs of the laboratory evaluations and periodic physician office visits necessary for the appropriate use of methotrexate, as outlined in the guidelines for the use of methotrexate to treat psoriasis.² Using the current cost figures from Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, Calif, the annual cost of laboratory tests and level 2 physician office visits is $2020. This figure alone, which does not include the costs of medication and liver biopsy, is higher than the cost of . . . [Full Text of this Article]