National Amb

Factsheet

ulatory Medical Care Survey

DERMATOLOGY

In 2009, there were an estimated 

34 million visits to nonfederally 

employed, office-based dermatologists 

in the United States. More than half of 

these visits were made by persons more 

than 25–64 years of age.

The visit rate was highest for persons 

75 years and over. The visit rate 

increased with age. The overall 

rate did not differ by sex.

Primary expected source of 

payment included:

 Private insurance — 72%

 Medicare — 26%

1 No insurance is defined as having only self-pay, no charge, or 

 charity visits as payment sources.

The major reason for visit was: 

 New problem — 40%

 Chronic problem, routine — 30%

 Chronic problem, flare-up — 15%

 Preventative care — 9%

 Pre- or post-surgery/injury

 follow-up — 4%

The top 5 reasons given by patients 

for visiting dermatologists were:

 Acne or pimples

 Discoloration or pigmentation 

 Skin rash

 Skin lesion

 Symptoms of skin moles

The top 5 diagnoses were:

 Actinic and seborrheic keratosis

 Benign neoplasm

 Acne

 Malignant neoplasms

 Contact dermatitis and other eczema

Medications were provided or 

prescribed at 68 percent of office visits. 

The top 4 generic substances utilized 

were:

 Clobetasol topical

 Tretinoin topical

 Triamcinolone topical

 Doxycycline

For more information, contact the 

Ambulatory Care Statistics Branch at 

301-458-4600 or visit our Web site at 

<www.cdc.gov/namcs>.

Percent distribution of office 

visits by patient’s age: 2009

32

20

15 16

11

6

<15 15–24 25–44 45–64 65–74 75+

Patient’s age in years

Annual office visit rates by 

patient’s age and sex: 2009

<15 3

15–24 8

25–44 9

45–64 14

65–74 24

75+ 32

Male 9

Female 14

Number of visits per 100 persons per year
THE IMPORTANCE OF NAMCS DATA Dermatology

NAMCS data are widely used in research studies appearing in nationally recognized medical 

journals, including JAMA, Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, and Archives of 

Dermatology. Here are just a few recent publications using NAMCS data: 

Rogers HW, Weinstock MA, Harris AR, Hinckley MR, Feldman SR, Fleischer AB, Coldiron BM. 

Incidence estimate of nonmelanoma skin cancer in the United States, 2006. Arch Dermatol. 

146(3):283–7. Mar 2010.

Pallin DJ, Espinola JA, Leung DY, Hooper DC, Camargo Jr CA. Epidemiology of Dermatitis and Skin 

Infections in United States Physicians' Offices, 1993–2005. Clin Infect Dis. Aug 2009.

[Epub ahead of print]

Awadalla F, Rosenbaum DA, Camacho F, Fleischer AB Jr, Feldman SR. Dermatologic disease in 

family medicine. Fam Med. 40(7):507–11. Jul–Aug 2008.

de Berker D, McGregor JM, Hughes BR; on behalf of the British Association of Dermatologists 

Therapy Guidelines and Audit Subcommittee. Guidelines for the management of actinic keratoses. 

Br J Dermatol. 156(2):222–30. Feb 2007.

Bivens MM, Bhosle M, Balkrishnan R, Camacho FT, Feldman SR, Fleischer AB Jr. Nonmelanoma 

skin cancer: is the incidence really increasing among patients younger than 40? A reexamination using 

25 years of U.S. outpatient data. Dermatol Surg. 32(12):1473–9. Dec 2006.

Warino L, Tusa M, Camacho F, Teuschler H, Fleischer AB Jr, Feldman SR. Frequency and cost of 

actinic keratosis treatment. Dermatol Surg. 32(8):1045–9. Aug 2006.

Pearce DJ, Stealey KH, Balkrishnan R, et al. Psoriasis treatment in the United States at the end of the 

20th century. Int J Dermatol. 45(4):370–374. Apr 2006.

Gupta A. Epidemiology of seborrheic dermatitis as observed from the National Ambulatory Medical 

Care Survey 1990–1999. J Am Acad Dermatol. 52(3):P103–P103. Suppl. S. Mar 2005.

Gupta MA, Gupta AK, Chen SJ, Johnson AM. Comorbidity of rosacea and depression: an analysis of 

the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and National Hospital Ambulatory Care 

Survey—Outpatient Department data collected by the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics from 

1995 to 2002. Br J Dermatol. 153(6):1176–81. Dec 2005. 

Neville JA, Housman TS, Letsinger JA, Fleischer AB Jr, Feldman SR, Williford PM. Increase in 

procedures performed at dermatology office visits from 1995 to 2001. Dermatol Surg. 32(5):771.

May 2006.

Thevarajah S, Balkrishnan R, Camacho FT, Feldman SR, Fleischer AB. Trends in prescription of acne 

medication in the US: Shift from antibiotic to non-antibiotic treatment. J Dermatolog Treat. 

16(4):224–8. Sep 2005.

The complete list of publications using NAMCS data, which includes hundreds of articles and 

reports, is available on our Web site.

NAMCS(FS)-2 (7-11)