How Many Dermatologists Are in Illinois? What the NPI Registry Shows (and Doesn't)

The short answer: about 948 registry records

When people ask how many dermatologists are in Illinois, they usually want one clean number. The closest thing we have is our own extract of the National Provider Identifier (NPI) Registry, which contains roughly 948 records connected to dermatology and an Illinois address.

That number is real, but it answers a narrower question than most readers expect. It tells you how many registry entries match a dermatology listing in Illinois. It does not tell you how many board-certified dermatologists are seeing patients this week, how many accept your insurance, or how far you would have to drive to reach one.

What a registry record actually is

An NPI is an identifier that health care providers use for billing and administration. Each record carries a name, practice details and a listed specialty. That makes the registry a convenient public dataset for counting, which is exactly why journalists, researchers and health-access writers reach for it.

But a dataset built for identification is not a census of the workforce. Before quoting the 948 figure, it helps to understand what can push the number up or down.

Why the count can overstate the workforce

• A record is not proof of current practice. A listing can persist after a physician cuts back hours, changes careers or stops seeing patients.
• A specialty label on a record is not the same as board certification. Confirm credentials through the licensing board and the certifying board, not through the registry.
• Some records may belong to trainees. Illinois has several dermatology residency programs, and residents see patients under supervision rather than running independent practices.
• An address on file may be a mailing or administrative address rather than the clinic where patients are seen.

Why the count can understate access

• A single physician may see patients at several sites. Rush, for example, lists dermatology locations in Chicago, Aurora, Oak Brook and Oak Park, so one doctor's record does not capture every place they practice.
• Some skin care happens in other specialties. Children's skin conditions, for instance, may be treated through pediatric dermatology divisions housed in pediatrics departments.
• Physicians who practice near the state line may serve Illinois patients while listing an address in a neighboring state.

Where the documented dermatology capacity sits

A raw count also hides where care is concentrated. The clearest, best-documented dermatology anchors in our research are Chicago-area academic medical centers. Each runs training programs, and several operate satellite clinics in the suburbs.

Northwestern reports about 25 full-time clinical faculty, more than a dozen research scientists and about 20 more physicians in its community practices, according to the department chair's message. Its education page lists fellowships in dermatopathology, dermatologic surgery and pediatric dermatology.

UChicago Medicine's dermatology page lists services including blistering diseases, light therapy, melanoma care, Mohs surgery, mole mapping and pediatric dermatology. Its section is led by Diana Bolotin, MD, PhD, according to the Department of Medicine.

Rush's Department of Dermatology lists programs in autoimmune bullous disease, cutaneous lymphoma, hair loss, hidradenitis, Mohs surgery, pigmentary disorders and vasculitis. Rush also notes that patients who have procedures in Chicago can book follow-ups at its suburban sites.

For a fuller comparison of these programs, including UI Health, see our guide to Chicago-area academic dermatology.

Reading any regional or ZIP breakdown with care

It is tempting to slice the registry by ZIP code and declare some areas well served and others underserved. That kind of map can be valuable, but it is easy to misread. This version of the page focuses on the statewide figure and how to interpret it rather than publishing a ZIP-level table, because location fields carry the same caveats as the overall count.

If you build or read a regional breakdown, keep these points in mind:

1. Count people, not rowsCheck whether the same physician appears more than once before totaling a region. Multi-site practices like Rush's network can make one doctor look like several.
2. Separate trainees from independent practiceAcademic ZIP codes such as Streeterville, Hyde Park, the Illinois Medical District and Maywood host residency programs. A high count there partly reflects training.
3. Check where patients are actually seenCompare registry addresses with the clinic addresses that health systems publish on their own location pages.
4. Think in travel time, not just bordersA suburb with few listed dermatologists may sit close to a satellite clinic in a neighboring town. Rush, for example, operates an Aurora clinic at 2020 Ogden Ave.
5. Note what the data cannot showRegistry fields do not show wait times, new-patient availability or which insurance plans a practice accepts.

What the count means if you need a dermatologist

For patients, the statewide number matters less than three practical questions: Is this physician licensed and in good standing? Are they board certified in dermatology? Will my insurance cover the visit, and do I need a referral? A registry count cannot answer any of those.

1. Start with a list of optionsUse our Illinois dermatologist finder or the physician directories that health systems publish, such as UChicago Medicine's dermatologist directory.
2. Verify the licenseLook up the physician through the state licensing system. Our guide to verifying an Illinois dermatologist's license walks through it.
3. Confirm board certificationCheck certification directly with the certifying board rather than relying on a website bio or registry specialty field.
4. Check insurance and referral rulesCall your plan and the office before booking. Our referrals, insurance and first visit guide explains what to ask.
5. Plan the tripLook at parking and transit details on the clinic's own page. UChicago Medicine, for instance, asks patients to allow extra time to reach its Hyde Park campus because of construction in the area.

For questions about a specific skin condition or treatment, talk with a physician. This site explains how care works in Illinois but does not give medical advice.

Children and specialized care

Pediatric skin care is a good example of why a single count can mislead. At Northwestern, the Division of Pediatric Dermatology sits within the Department of Pediatrics and sees patients at Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, according to the division's page. UChicago Medicine also lists pediatric dermatology among its services.

Specialized programs such as Mohs surgery, mole mapping, cutaneous lymphoma and autoimmune blistering disease clinics are listed at Rush and UChicago. Families seeking this kind of care often care more about which centers offer a program than about the total number of dermatologists in the state.

How to cite this data

If you reference our figure, a fair description is: "roughly 948 NPI Registry records tied to dermatology with Illinois addresses, according to an extract compiled by illinoisdermatologist.com." Please pair it with at least one caveat, such as the fact that registry records do not equal practicing physicians.

When you describe specific institutions, link to their own pages. Faculty counts, locations and leadership change, and the primary source will always be more current than a summary. Feinberg's homepage, for example, has announced that Wilson Liao, MD, has been named chair of Dermatology at Northwestern.