Skin Biopsies, Cutaneous Disease, and Primary Care
Authors: Daniel G. Federman
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1999)

Letters6 April 1999Skin Biopsies, Cutaneous Disease, and Primary CareDaniel G. Federman, MD and Robert S. Kirsner, MDDaniel G. Federman, MDYale University School of Medicine; New Haven, CT 06520 (Federman)University of Miami School of Medicine; Miami, FL 33136 (Kirsner)Search for more papers by this author and Robert S. Kirsner, MDYale University School of Medicine; New Haven, CT 06520 (Federman)University of Miami School of Medicine; Miami, FL 33136 (Kirsner)Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-130-7-199904060-00016 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:Health care changes have dictated that primary care physicians deftly care for a broad spectrum of medical conditions. Implicit is the assumption that primary care practitioners can provide quality health care at a lower cost than specialists. Possibly succumbing to these forces, the American College of Physicians held several workshops in skin biopsy techniques during its 1998 Annual Session. Although knowledge of how to perform skin biopsies is needed, our enthusiasm is tempered by several concerns.Several studies have demonstrated that nondermatologists are inferior to dermatologists in the diagnosis and treatment of skin disease (1-3). However, some ...References1. Kirsner RS, Federman DG. Lack of correlation between internists' ability in dermatology and their patterns of treating patients with skin disease. Arch Dermatol. 1996;132:1043-6. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Federman DG, Hogan D, Taylor JR, Caralis P, Kirsner RS. A comparison of diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of patients with dermatologic disorders. J Am Acad Dermatol. 1995;32:726-9. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Federman DG, Kirsner RS. The abilities of primary care physicians in dermatology: implications for quality of care. American Journal of Managed Care. 1997;3:1487-92. MedlineGoogle Scholar4. Federman DG, Kirsner RS. Primary care in dermatology. J Am Acad Dermatol. 1997;37:668. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Branch WT, Collins M, Wintroub BU. Dermatologic practice: implications for a primary care residency curriculum. J Med Educ. 1983; 58:136-42. \ Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Yale University School of Medicine; New Haven, CT 06520 (Federman)University of Miami School of Medicine; Miami, FL 33136 (Kirsner) PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited ByBiopsy techniquesSkin Disease in a Primary Care PracticeDermatology in primary care: Prevalence and patient dispositionTHE PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN AND THE TREATMENT OF PATIENTS WITH SKIN DISORDERS 6 April 1999Volume 130, Issue 7Page: 617KeywordsBiopsyHealth careHealth care qualityMedical conditionsPathologistsPatientsPrimary carePrimary care physiciansSkin diseases Issue Published: 6 April 1999 CopyrightCopyright © 1999 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...