Dermatology

Please note that we do not treat the following conditions:

• Hypertrichosis / laser hair removal
• Striae (stretch marks)
• Scars (with exception of keloids)
• Chronic urticaria

In order to allow us to prioritize patients with more complex dermatologic issues who cannot receive appropriate care within the community, we request that patients with routine dermatologic issues such as acne, eczema, warts, ringworm, molluscum, folliculitis/furuncles, seborrheic dermatitis/dandruff, and diaper rash be initially evaluated and managed by their primary care provider.

Procedures are usually not performed at the initial visit/evaluation of a patient. If it is an expectation that a procedure may be performed, please explicitly state this in the referral given procedures require prior authorizations, though this will be evaluated by the provider and may require initial evaluation first to determine if procedure is appropriate. An exception for this is warts, which will have prior authorization completed for cryotherapy when referral is placed.

To expedite the scheduling process, please include all relevant medical records with the referral, including:

• Skin biopsy reports
• Laboratory results
• Documentations of all prior evaluations and treatments performed in your office for the skin condition
• Consultation letters from all specialists who have evaluated the child for the the skin conditions, e.g. allergist, community dermatologist, plastic surgeon, rheumatologist, etc.
• If there are no pertinent medical records, please state this explicitly

This information is a very important part of the referral triage process and helps the dermatology providers to deliver the best care for your patient.

Processing of referral requests typically takes 3-5 days. If you have an emergency, please call the Physician Priority Link (PPL) at 1-888-636-7997.

Once the referral request (including all supporting medical records) has been reviewed, the patient’s caregiver can call for an appointment.

Once an appointment has been scheduled we will forward a copy of the referral disposition to your office for your records.

Please note that due to recent staffing changes, availability of appointments has been limited.

Detailed Summary

Provide a detailed summary of the patient's skin problem, all previous medications tried and the specific dermatologic question on the referral.

• Incorrect: Rash x 6 months
• Correct: Child has had a scaly itchy eczematoid rash on all extremities for 6 months, getting worse, and unresponsive over the past month to desonide 0.05% cream x 2 weeks, then triamcinolone 0.1% ointment x 2 weeks. Initial treatment with moisturizers and topical antibiotics were of no help. I am concerned that this might be psoriasis instead of eczema. He has not seen any specialists for this condition.

Photographs

Photos are welcome and very helpful in assisting the dermatology providers in triaging referral requests. There is an optimal process for taking digital photographs and sending them securely. No photo release is required since the images will only be used to triage the referral request. Please use the information below to transmit photos properly.

• Capture and Transmission of Patient Images for Dermatology Consultation guidelines
• View helpful guidelines for taking the digital image
• Send images to dermatology@cchmc.org
• Provide the location of the lesion or rash, patient name and birthday, and Cincinnati Children's MRN (if known) with the photograph. Taking a digital image with a ruler next to the lesion is helpful
• Please call the Division of Dermatology at 513-636-4215 if you have questions about photographic techniques or sending pictures

Medical Records

Include all relevant medical records, including skin biopsy reports, laboratory results, and consultation letters from all physicians who have evaluated the child for the condition, e.g. allergist, community dermatologist, plastic surgeon, rheumatologist, etc. If there are none, please state this explicitly.

For additional information regarding our referral process, please contact the Division of Dermatology at 513-636-4215.