The cost of initiating appropriate therapy for skin diseases: a comparison of dermatologists and family physicians.

A prospective survey examining how forty-one dermatologists and forty-one family practitioners manage patients with skin diseases was carried out in Atlanta, GA. The results show that dermatologists diagnose more conditions accurately, refer patients less often, charge more in professional fees, prescribe more medicines at higher cost to the patient but order laboratory tests costing less than do family physicians. More appropriate treatment was prescribed for nine of ten diseases by specialists compared to generalists. This limited study provides data which suggests that dermatologists provide more appropriate care than family practitioners in the treatment of skin diseases at no greater cost.