Inpatient dermatology represents a unique challenge as caring for hospitalized patients with skin conditions is different from most dermatologists’ daily outpatient practice. Declining rates of inpatient dermatology participation are often attributed to a number of factors, including challenges navigating the administrative burdens of hospital credentialing, acclimating to different hospital systems involving potential alternate electronic medical records systems, medical-legal concerns, and reimbursement concerns. This article aims to provide basic guidelines to help dermatologists establish a presence as a consulting physician in the inpatient hospital-based setting. The emphasis is on identifying potential pitfalls, problematic areas, and laying out strategies for tackling some of the challenges of inpatient dermatology including balancing financial concerns and optimizing reimbursements, tracking data and developing a plan for academic productivity, optimizing workflow, and identifying metrics to document the impact of an inpatient dermatology consult service.

Rosenbach M. The logistics of an inpatient dermatology service. Sem Cutan Med Surg. 2017;36(1):3-8. https://doi.org/j.sder.2017.006.

Among the more than 3,000 skin conditions that dermatologists manage, there are a number of severe, acute cutaneous diagnoses which either warrant hospitalization on their own or can arise in the inpatient setting and demand skilled inpatient dermatological consultation.