Recent findings highlight wide-ranging differences in use of dermatologic care in the US across various demographic and socioeconomic lines. Researchers conducted a retrospective analysis of nationally representative data from the 2007 to 2015 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) (n=183,054). Health care use outcomes for dermatologic conditions were examined via multivariable logistic regression analyses of outpatient and office-based dermatologist visit rates accounting for sex, age, race/ethnicity, educational level, income, insurance status, region, self-reported condition, and self-reported health status. They found:

• Of total MEPS respondents (mean [SD] age, 34 [23] years; 52.1% female), 19,561 (10.7%) self-reported a dermatologic condition; 9,645 patients had a total of 11,761 outpatient visits to dermatologists.
• Hispanic and black patients were both less likely to receive outpatient care for their dermatologic condition relative to non-Hispanic white patients.
• Male patients were less likely to receive outpatient dermatologic care than female patients, and Midwestern patients were less likely to receive outpatient dermatologic care than Northeastern patients.
• Patients with Medicaid or Medicare coverage and uninsured patients were both less likely to receive outpatient dermatologic care than privately insured patients.