Teledermatology perception differences between urban primary care physicians and dermatologists.

Teledermatology PerceptionDifferences Between Urban Primary Care Physicians andDermatologists The implementation of the Patient Protection andAffordable Care Act has renewed interest in the appropriate use and deliveryof specialty services.1 Teledermatologyhasbeen touted as a potential solution to improve access, particularly in the context of the impending dermatology workforce shortage.2 While studies have demonstrated that teledermatology may reduce disparities, enhance access in geographically isolated populations, and improve efficiency in integrated health systems, evidence for its use in urban underserved populations is limited.3Urbanunderservedcommunitieshaveahighprevalence of chronic dermatologic conditions yet have limited access to dermatologists secondary to insurance scarcity.4 Often,urbanunderservedpatients are seenbyacademicmedical center dermatologists and face lengthywait times and access challenges.5While teledermatology implementationhasbeen studied invarious settings, no studies, toourknowledge,have provided a description of the practical needs of primary care physicians (PCPs) in independent community health centers (CHCs) that serve urban underserved patients and of academic dermatologists in such communities. We evaluated perceived access to dermatologic care reported by urban CHC PCPs. Furthermore, we assessed PCPs’ and academic dermatologists’ receptiveness to incorporating teledermatology into their clinical practice to enhance dermatology access for urban underserved populations.