• Allen Shih, Alexandria Riopelle, Aaron Ordan, Stephanie Sanchez, Jag Bhawan, and Christina S Lam.
• From the Department of Dermatology, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts.
• South. Med. J. 2024 Oct 1; 117 (10): 577581577-581.

ObjectivesTeledermatology is a cost-effective and efficient approach to delivering care and is particularly beneficial for patients with limited access to specialized services. Considering the rapid expansion of telehealth, it is crucial to focus on optimization. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the triaging of dermatologic care in an electronic consultation (e-consultation) service in a safety-net hospital.MethodsThis was a 2-year retrospective review of a dermatology asynchronous store-and-forward e-consultation service.ResultsA total of 1425 patients completed 1502 e-consultation. Of these e-consultations, 46% of the patients had Medicaid and 44% were Black or African American. The top three diagnoses were dermatitis unspecified, neoplasm of uncertain behavior, and acne/rosacea. Most (68%) were managed via e-consultation and did not require an in-person appointment. Children and adolescents were more likely to require an in-person appointment (74%) compared with adults (30%, P < 0.0001). Patients with a chief complaint of hair loss or skin lesion were more likely to require in-person evaluation (58% and 41%, respectively) compared with rash (24%) and acne (18%) (P < 0.0001). There was no difference found in recommendations for in-person evaluation based on race, non-English-language preference, or insurance status.ConclusionsE-consultation services seem well suited for certain concerns, and underserved populations can be evaluated by teledermatology.

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