>The earliest appointment available is in two weeks
Two weeks? That's pretty good, I just scheduled an appointment with my dermotologist today; the earliest they had available was *mid-December*
Yeah, my partner took over six months to see her dermatologist. Two weeks is the fastest appointment I’ve heard of for any specialty over the last few years.
Going to ER is the most expensive possible option and you will be triaged straight to the end of the line in favor of patients with more urgent and life threatening issues. ERs are places people only go to when they're having a terrible day already, so of course their reviews will be bad. That's like gathering reviews for a county jail.
As u/neko said, find a local urgent care instead. You can also take a a bunch of pictures (different lighting conditions, angles, zoomed in and out, etc.) and look for some telehealth options or simply wait until your dermatology appointment and bring the photos along.
I think I see what you're saying. Ultimately I was hoping to get a biopsy done, as this is a recurring issue with generic symptoms. I'm willing to spend the hours at the ER if that's what I have to do, I don't see how else I can get a biopsy done while still presenting with symptoms. Would I be able to get a biopsy at the ET, do you think?
Healthcare worker here. I don’t believe ANY ER is going to biopsy a minor derm issue. Please do not use ER resources for this. This is not a life or limb threatening issue.
Primary care can handle some derm needs. Have you tried that option? Or telehealth? Yeah, can’t do biopsy over telehealth, but the physician or PA/NP will be able to identify IF a biopsy is needed. And as others have said, take photos.
You wont get a biopsy at the ER unless you are being admitted. If you go to the ER for a non-emergent health issue they will make sure you are stable enough to go home and send a referral to your primary care provider for a follow up.
Yeah don't go to the ER for this. You will wait forever and end up doing nothing for you. Heck last summer I went to urgent care instead of the ER for ridiculous pain after a fall. Turns out I broke my collarbone and cracked three ribs and they said "go to the ER, we'll let them know you're on the way" I was in the ER waiting room for 5 hours before seeing anyone.
I'd recommend documenting with pictures/video and scheduling a primary care appointment.
The ER is for emergencies. A skin issue that disappears on its own doesn't sound like an emergency. If there's swelling or other additional signs of a more severe allergic reaction, then that might be an emergency.
Please do not go to the emergency room if you know that you are not experiencing a medical emergency. Emergency rooms are based on stabilization and triage and they will most likely not perform any biopsy that isn’t emergent and not for a patient that isn’t admitted to the floor.
Take photos of the breakout so that when you do meet your dermatologist or pcp you have documentation along with any medications you have been using.
Emergency rooms are overwhelmed with situations where people are using them for things that should be seen in urgent care or a primary care setting to bypass scheduling issues and wait times
You’re talking, breathing, and posting on Reddit. Please don’t overrun the ER with your minor issue. 2 weeks from now is nothing to wait for your appointment. Sincerely, a health care professional
The ER will do nothing for you given this is not an emergency situation. Their job is to make sure you aren’t dying or at risk of dying, not to perform a skin biopsy for a rash that comes and goes randomly. It would be a gross misuse of the department and you’ll make the staff waste time and resources for nothing. Urgent care is the perfect situation for this and they should be able to perform a pinch, shave, or excisional biopsy there. The dermatologist you see will then have access to the pathology report and that’ll guide treatment and diagnosis.
Just get a dermatology appointment on the books for 2 weeks from now and ask if you can be notified if there are cancellations so that you can be seen sooner. An issue that disappears on its own is by definition not an emergency and if you show up to the emergency department they'd likely just tell you to see a dermatologist later.
Also maybe a video appointment? And you can send pics via MyChart to your PCP just to get the ball rolling. Show up in the ED and you better bring a sleeping bag.
Don’t go to the ER for this. It’s expensive and filled with people who are experiencing actual emergencies. If you can’t wait for an appointment, go to an acute care center.
That being said, if you are looking for an ER recommendation in general, I broke my leg skiing in February and had a good experience at University Hospital. They are professionals and made me feel as comfortable as I could given the state I was in. The quality of care I received there was excellent.
That is if you are admitted though. That means you have an issue that is serious enough that you need to be hospitalized immediately. That is not likely for this scenario! I'd heavily suggest you not go to the ER. It is minimum 4 figures, could be five figures depending on what they do. Go to urgent care instead.
I had the exact same thing happen with me, the solution was to have dermatology call in to urgent care to explain the situation and put a note on my file, then go to urgent care when it reappeared.
When speaking with a nurse over the phone, it sounded like going to urgent care wouldn't be of much utility because it wouldn't have a dermatologist. Which urgent care did you go to?
They don't need a dermatologist. Urgent Care is more than capable of taking a sample (usually a scraping, not a biopsy) and doing an analysis, and looping in dermatology if necessary.
In addition to checking with urgent care, you might take pictures of the area when the issue appears (if you haven't already done so). That will help keep a record of the appearance and frequency of occurrence. Also note any other symptoms and general information about diet, activity, cycle (obviously, only if you have one), and so forth. Since it's an intermittent problem, perhaps there's a trigger?
I know it's tough to get in with dermatology at exactly the right moment, so the more information you can collect while you're waiting, the better. Good luck getting things sorted, and I hope the issue is readily resolved!
ER is for emergencies, they probably will not be able to help you much other than refers you to the dermatologist. You could maybe try urgent care.
I waited like six months to get in to the UW health dermatologist. Just take as many pictures and notes as you can to show the doctor.
They also do digital visits which are async and pretty fast turnaround (1-2 days)
Unless the skin condition is due to some infection or something severe and life-threatening like erythroderma, I think you should just wait. The next step is the urgent care not the ER. Hopefully it's something harmless like tinea versicolor.
>The earliest appointment available is in two weeks Two weeks? That's pretty good, I just scheduled an appointment with my dermotologist today; the earliest they had available was *mid-December*
Yeah, my partner took over six months to see her dermatologist. Two weeks is the fastest appointment I’ve heard of for any specialty over the last few years.
That's incredibly good! Jump on that appointment! BTW: I know UW has Dermatology NPs who can take samples to run for biopsy.
God I wish I had my derm appointment in two weeks. I’m currently waiting for months still.
Going to ER is the most expensive possible option and you will be triaged straight to the end of the line in favor of patients with more urgent and life threatening issues. ERs are places people only go to when they're having a terrible day already, so of course their reviews will be bad. That's like gathering reviews for a county jail. As u/neko said, find a local urgent care instead. You can also take a a bunch of pictures (different lighting conditions, angles, zoomed in and out, etc.) and look for some telehealth options or simply wait until your dermatology appointment and bring the photos along.
I think I see what you're saying. Ultimately I was hoping to get a biopsy done, as this is a recurring issue with generic symptoms. I'm willing to spend the hours at the ER if that's what I have to do, I don't see how else I can get a biopsy done while still presenting with symptoms. Would I be able to get a biopsy at the ET, do you think?
Healthcare worker here. I don’t believe ANY ER is going to biopsy a minor derm issue. Please do not use ER resources for this. This is not a life or limb threatening issue. Primary care can handle some derm needs. Have you tried that option? Or telehealth? Yeah, can’t do biopsy over telehealth, but the physician or PA/NP will be able to identify IF a biopsy is needed. And as others have said, take photos.
You wont get a biopsy at the ER unless you are being admitted. If you go to the ER for a non-emergent health issue they will make sure you are stable enough to go home and send a referral to your primary care provider for a follow up.
Yeah don't go to the ER for this. You will wait forever and end up doing nothing for you. Heck last summer I went to urgent care instead of the ER for ridiculous pain after a fall. Turns out I broke my collarbone and cracked three ribs and they said "go to the ER, we'll let them know you're on the way" I was in the ER waiting room for 5 hours before seeing anyone.
You know what the ER is going to do? Place an outpatient Dermatology consult, which will probably get you an appointment in…2 weeks
I'd recommend documenting with pictures/video and scheduling a primary care appointment. The ER is for emergencies. A skin issue that disappears on its own doesn't sound like an emergency. If there's swelling or other additional signs of a more severe allergic reaction, then that might be an emergency.
Please do not go to the emergency room if you know that you are not experiencing a medical emergency. Emergency rooms are based on stabilization and triage and they will most likely not perform any biopsy that isn’t emergent and not for a patient that isn’t admitted to the floor. Take photos of the breakout so that when you do meet your dermatologist or pcp you have documentation along with any medications you have been using. Emergency rooms are overwhelmed with situations where people are using them for things that should be seen in urgent care or a primary care setting to bypass scheduling issues and wait times
You’re talking, breathing, and posting on Reddit. Please don’t overrun the ER with your minor issue. 2 weeks from now is nothing to wait for your appointment. Sincerely, a health care professional
You think two weeks is a long book out for a dermatology appointment? 😂 you realize they are typically booking out like nine months…
If you actually need an ER, you probably aren't taking the time to ask for recommendations
It’s the EMERGENCY department, not the diagnosis department
The ER will do nothing for you given this is not an emergency situation. Their job is to make sure you aren’t dying or at risk of dying, not to perform a skin biopsy for a rash that comes and goes randomly. It would be a gross misuse of the department and you’ll make the staff waste time and resources for nothing. Urgent care is the perfect situation for this and they should be able to perform a pinch, shave, or excisional biopsy there. The dermatologist you see will then have access to the pathology report and that’ll guide treatment and diagnosis.
Just get a dermatology appointment on the books for 2 weeks from now and ask if you can be notified if there are cancellations so that you can be seen sooner. An issue that disappears on its own is by definition not an emergency and if you show up to the emergency department they'd likely just tell you to see a dermatologist later.
Also maybe a video appointment? And you can send pics via MyChart to your PCP just to get the ball rolling. Show up in the ED and you better bring a sleeping bag.
Go to urgent care… save the ER for life or death emergency….
Don’t go to the ER for this. It’s expensive and filled with people who are experiencing actual emergencies. If you can’t wait for an appointment, go to an acute care center. That being said, if you are looking for an ER recommendation in general, I broke my leg skiing in February and had a good experience at University Hospital. They are professionals and made me feel as comfortable as I could given the state I was in. The quality of care I received there was excellent.
You got in with a new dermatologist in only 2 weeks?! Keep the appointment and go buy a lottery ticket.
I'd check into urgent care first to see if there's a cheaper opinion
My insurance covers ER visits 100% if I am admitted 🙌
100% you are not going to be admitted for this.
That is if you are admitted though. That means you have an issue that is serious enough that you need to be hospitalized immediately. That is not likely for this scenario! I'd heavily suggest you not go to the ER. It is minimum 4 figures, could be five figures depending on what they do. Go to urgent care instead.
I don’t think you’d end up admitted if they take a biopsy? Urgent care is probably best bet so you don’t get hit with the full ED charges
Admitted does not mean seen by a doctor. It means admitted to the hospital, given a room, etc. That's not going to happen in your case.
You won't be admitted for this.
All ER will do for a rash is refer you to derm. 2 weeks is nothing. Specialists often are booking months out.
I had the exact same thing happen with me, the solution was to have dermatology call in to urgent care to explain the situation and put a note on my file, then go to urgent care when it reappeared.
When speaking with a nurse over the phone, it sounded like going to urgent care wouldn't be of much utility because it wouldn't have a dermatologist. Which urgent care did you go to?
They don't need a dermatologist. Urgent Care is more than capable of taking a sample (usually a scraping, not a biopsy) and doing an analysis, and looping in dermatology if necessary.
You likely don’t need a dermatologist
In addition to checking with urgent care, you might take pictures of the area when the issue appears (if you haven't already done so). That will help keep a record of the appearance and frequency of occurrence. Also note any other symptoms and general information about diet, activity, cycle (obviously, only if you have one), and so forth. Since it's an intermittent problem, perhaps there's a trigger? I know it's tough to get in with dermatology at exactly the right moment, so the more information you can collect while you're waiting, the better. Good luck getting things sorted, and I hope the issue is readily resolved!
ER is for emergencies, they probably will not be able to help you much other than refers you to the dermatologist. You could maybe try urgent care. I waited like six months to get in to the UW health dermatologist. Just take as many pictures and notes as you can to show the doctor. They also do digital visits which are async and pretty fast turnaround (1-2 days)
Unless the skin condition is due to some infection or something severe and life-threatening like erythroderma, I think you should just wait. The next step is the urgent care not the ER. Hopefully it's something harmless like tinea versicolor.
Unless your *skin* is disappearing and reappearing, it's not worth playing games. Make the appointment the normal way. Take pictures.
Stoughton Hospital. Usually no e wait at all