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Detecting melanoma early in patients is crucial for ensuring positive outcomes. A cross-sectional audit study explains the importance of increasing healthcare access and educating primary care physicians on diagnostic techniques.

Melanoma is one of the most common cancers with a generally good prognosis if caught early. However, the late detection of melanoma could lead to poor outcomes. Disparities are present in patients living in urban versus rural areas and those with Medicaid insurance versus those without Medicaid insurance. In addition, the specialty of the healthcare provider can affect the timing of diagnosis and treatment of melanoma.

A cross-sectional study, published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, evaluated the differences in the rates of dermatology and family medicine practice acceptances for Medicaid versus private insurance. Researchers also assessed clinic wait times for patients presenting with a changing pigmented skin lesion in California.

In urban and rural areas of California, dermatology and family medicine practices have decreased acceptance of Medicaid. Dermatology practices had lower Medicaid acceptance rates than family medicine practices (11-13% vs. 28-36%). Furthermore, clinic wait times at family medicine practices were around 2 to 3 times higher for patients with public versus private insurance.

The results of this study imply the need for expanded health insurance policies to improve access to care. On a deeper level, primary care physicians may need to evaluate their melanoma screening processes to differentiate between benign and malignant lesions. Improved education of healthcare providers may help curb poor outcomes from melanoma in patients using public versus private health insurance.

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Source:
Cortez, J. L., Fadadu, R. P., Konda, S., Grimes, B., & Wei, M. L. (2022). Disparities in access for melanoma screening by region, specialty, and insurance: A cross-sectional audit study. JAAD International, 7, 78-85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdin.2022.02.008