26448 Distance to diagnosing dermatology provider as an indicator of number of melanomas

Abstract

A national shortage and maldistribution of dermatologists can cause patients to forgo full body skin exams (FBSE) or treatment if they live far from a dermatology clinic (“spatial access”). This study assesses the relationship between spatial access to dermatologists in Upstate NY and the number of diagnosed melanomas as indicated by pathology reports. We hypothesize that a patient’s travel distance will positively correlate with the number of diagnosed melanomas. We conducted a retrospective analysis of melanoma pathology reports of Theta Dermatology patients from 2012-2020 (N = 346).