Short wait times for patients seeking cosmetic botulinum toxin appointments with dermatologists - 19/08/11
, Shira Lipton, MD b, Mark J. Pletcher, MD, MPH c
Reprint requests: Jack S. Resneck Jr, MD, Department of Dermatology and Institute for Health Policy Studies, University of California, San Francisco, Box 0316, San Francisco, CA 94143-0316.Abstract |
Background |
Wait times for both routine and urgent dermatology appointments typically exceed 3 to 4 weeks. Many factors affecting physician workforce adequacy and patient access have been explored, but little is known about the impact of increasing numbers of doctors offering cosmetic services.
Objective |
We sought to evaluate access to dermatologists for patients requesting cosmetic services.
Methods |
Scripted patient telephone calls were made to 898 dermatologists in 12 metropolitan areas to assess wait times for an appointment to receive cosmetic botulinum toxin injections. The areas chosen were surveyed completely, and respondents represented about one tenth of practicing dermatologists in the United States. The methodology was identical to that used in a previous study of wait times for evaluation of a changing mole (a possible indicator of malignancy).
Results |
Half of dermatologist respondents (455, 50.7%) offered appointments for botulinum toxin injections, and the median wait time was 8 days. Acceptance rates and wait times varied greatly by geographic area (range of median wait times 6.0-32.5 days), with dermatologists in Miami, Fla, and Orange County, California, most likely to provide a botulinum toxin appointment with a short wait time. Many dermatologists (241, 27%) employed physician extenders, and 39% of these extenders also offered appointments for botulinum toxin injections (median wait time 6 days). In comparison with a previous study showing median wait times of 26 days for evaluation of a changing mole in these communities, wait times for cosmetic injections were significantly shorter (P < .001).
Limitations |
The metropolitan areas surveyed contain no highly rural areas and do not represent a random sample of all US dermatology practice sites. The cosmetic and medical studies were not conducted concurrently, but were carried out in the same metropolitan areas.
Conclusions |
Patients seeking a cosmetic botulinum toxin injection have more rapid access to dermatologists than has been previously reported for patients seeking urgent consultation for a changing mole. This study cannot differentiate between many possible explanations for the observed differences in wait times. Because physicians in many other specialties with physician shortages are also offering cosmetic services, further studies are needed to assess the broader policy implications of these findings.
Le texte complet de cet article est disponible en PDF.Abbreviations used : MSA, NP, PA
Plan
| Funding sources: Dr Resneck was supported by a career development award from The Dermatology Foundation, which played no role in design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; or preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript. There were no commercial funders or other sources of support for this study. |
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| Disclosure: Dr Resneck chairs the Workforce Task Force of the American Academy of Dermatology. Dr Lipton and Dr Pletcher have no conflicts of interest to declare. |
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| Selected and limited preliminary descriptive results presented in abstract form at the 2007 Annual Meeting of the Society for Investigative Dermatology, Los Angeles, Calif, May 12, 2007. |
Vol 57 - N° 6
P. 985-989 - décembre 2007 Retour au numéro
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