Skin Diseases Get Misdiagnosed in Primary Care

When it comes to physicians sending biopsies to general pathologists, the issue goes beyond physicians not knowing about dermatopathologists, said Dr. Cockrell. Many insurance companies have specific contracted labs to which samples have to be sent. “I send samples to dermatopathologists when a second review is warranted.”

Also, added Dr. Krist, “Most of my patients have acute skin conditions that need to be dealt with in a couple days.” Referring them to dermatologists could take 4–6 weeks. Even in cities where dermatologists are prevalent, there are not enough of them to handle all the skin conditions that patients present with,” he added.