Characteristics of Emergency Department Patients Seeking Dermatologic Care Using 2022 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey Data

Abstract

Emergency department (ED) visits often serve as a safety net for patients with limited access to outpatient dermatologic care. Racial and ethinci minorities experience disproportionate barriers to dermatologic diagnosis, treatment, and specialty access. We evaluated racial/ethnic differences in ED visits identifying primary clinician-rendered dermatologic visits using the 2022 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS). Patient demographics, residence, and payment source were stratified by race and skin of color (SOC) status. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests were conducted using SPSS v30.0. Among 16,025 ED visits, 460 visits were associated with a primary dermatologic diagnosis. SOC patients made 42.6% of dermatologic ED visits. There was significant difference across age distribution by SOC status (p=0.008). SOC patients more commonly relying on Medicaid/CHIP/other state-based programs compared to White (52.6% vs 33.3%) (p<0.001). Most patients resided in private homes (94.6%). SOC patients comprised nearly half of dermatologic ED visits and were more frequently publicly insured, suggesting potential barriers to outpatient dermatologic care. Further studies should evaluate dermatology referral completion, follow-up access, and ED revisit patterns among SOC and publicly insured populations.