Office-based care of dermatologic disease.

From 1974 to 1981 the number of visits to office-based physicians for dermatologic complaints remained relatively constant. During this period, dermatologists increased their share of patients with such complaints from one third to one half. As a result of the growth in the number of practicing dermatologists, the average number of visits per dermatologist fell during this period. Nearly half of all visits to dermatologists in the 1980-1981 period were for one of three diagnoses: diseases of the sebaceous glands (principally acne), warts, and skin tumors. Competition between dermatologists and other physicians for patients with these three diagnoses is likely to increase. Changes in medical practice structure, a projected increase in the number of dermatologists, and an aging population may make it difficult for dermatologists to preserve the volume of patients they currently see.