Comparison of prescribing patterns of non-physician clinicians and dermatologists in the Medicare population

Abstract

Non-physician clinicians (NPCs) are playing an increasing role in dermatologic patient care. This study expands upon existing workforce assessments of dermatology NPCs through the use of publicly-available Medicare datasets to better clarify prescribing patterns among independently-billing dermatology NPCs. The findings demonstrate prescribing similarities between NPCs and dermatologists for most medications, including biologic and immunosuppressive medications, although with higher use of oral prednisone, gabapentin, and hydroxyzine among NPCs. Dermatologists more frequently utilized high-potency topical steroids. These data provide initial insights into NPC prescribing patterns and should motivate further study of the identified differences and potential implications for patient care.

Keywords: Biologics; Dermatologic workforce; Dermatology; Medicare; Non-physician clinicians; Practice patterns; Prescribing patterns.