Provider News

Four Things to Know When Referring to Dermatology

August 5, 2020

1. The typical wait time for new patients in Dermatology is 4 to 6 months.

Patients with less urgent conditions such as warts, molluscum contagiosum and acne can expect the longest waits.

2. Dermatology has created several new resources to help PCPs manage their patients in primary care and avoid a long wait to see a specialist.

We realize families are often anxious to have conditions like acne, warts and molluscum addressed more quickly than we can see them. To help support more timely treatment, our Dermatology team created the following resources for PCPs:

They are found on Dermatology’s recently updated Refer a Patient page.

Eczema: Pediatric eczema is a common complaint that can be managed in primary care in many milder cases. Dermatology has many eczema care resources — including several in Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese and Simplified Chinese — that providers may also find to be an excellent resource. See our Patient and Family Resources page under “atopic dermatitis (eczema).” Other condition-specific handouts on this page that you may find useful to share with patients/families include:

  • Alopecia
  • Diaper rash
  • Keratosis pilaris
  • Lichen striatus
  • Moles
  • Nickel allergy
  • Port wine stains
  • Pityriasis rosea
  • Psoriasis
  • Pyogenic granulomas
  • Scabies
  • Seborrheic dermatitis
  • Vitiligo

3. Referrals are not required but are encouraged.

Submitting a complete referral may help your patient be seen more quickly because our scheduling team will have the information needed to determine when and by whom they should be seen. A complete referral will have all the elements in the New Appointment Request Form (see the PDF or Word doc), as well as any pertinent skin biopsy results and/or culture reports and a description of treatments or therapies already tried.

4. Urticaria referrals should be sent to Dermatology rather than Rheumatology.

When Rheumatology receives referrals for urticaria, they are redirected to the Dermatology team, who evaluates whether additional consultation with Rheumatology is needed. See our urticaria algorithm.