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Challenge: 18-week wait and unnecessary procedures
Each year more than 30,000 patients in Denmark are diagnosed with skin cancer – a number rising by 8-10% annually due to longer lifespans, better treatment and the effects of prolonged sun exposure without protection (mainly from the '70s–'00s). Northern European countries show particularly high prevalence rates, according to the European Cancer Information System.
In the past, patients with suspicious skin lesions would visit their GP, receive a referral for a dermatologist and then wait an average of 18 weeks for an appointment. During this waiting period, anxiety grows, and potentially dangerous lesions remain untreated. Adding to the burden, many patients undergo unnecessary biopsies – invasive procedures performed out of caution.
For Gorm Bach Kjaer, program lead of the Digital Skin Cancer Diagnostics (DSCD) Program at the Centre for IT & Medico Technology in the Capital Region of Denmark, this issue is both professional and personal – he himself has been diagnosed with skin cancer. "We see rising rates of skin cancer especially in the elderly population, who in their youth didn't use as much sun protection as we do today," he explains.
The rising disease incidence presents a clear challenge: how to provide faster access to specialist expertise while reducing the number of unnecessary biopsies?
Solution: Digital workflow that reduces wait times from 18 weeks to just one day
DSCD is a secure digital platform that enables dermatological assessments for GPs in less than 24 hours, transforming the 18-week wait into a one-day turnaround. The surprising thing in 2026? This isn't another AI application. Success and scaling across five regions in Denmark come from thoughtful implementation, not algorithmic innovation.
Digital architecture of the new workflow
The DSCD project changes the traditional workflow: Using a preconfigured smartphone with an attached digital dermatoscope, GPs take pictures of suspicious skin lesions and send them digitally to a dermatologist. The dermatologist then reviews the images and structured data, as well as the patient's anamnesis. The GP receives a written digital assessment from the dermatologist within 24 hours.
The workflow is fully integrated into Denmark's national IT infrastructure, setting a new standard for user-centred health innovation. To secure adoption, the professional organisation of GPs has been part of the program since the beginning. GPs are also compensated for the additional administrative workload.
Impact and scale
Within its first year of implementation that began in 2025, the solution has been adopted by more than 50% of Danish GPs, demonstrating both clinical impact and strong user acceptance. The results speak for themselves:
- Waiting times have been reduced from 18 weeks to one day.
- More than 70% of patients evaluated with DSCD avoid a physical consultation – thus easing pressure on dermatologists.
- Unnecessary biopsies have been reduced by up to 35%, sparing patients from procedures and easing pressure on pathology departments.
- For every euro invested, more than three euros are returned in value through better resource utilisation.
Next steps: Building the foundation for AI
While AI isn't used yet, the large-scale datasets being gathered through DSCD will provide a quality foundation for future research and AI development. The platform, supported by the Danish Agency for Digitalisation, paves the way for the responsible use of AI in dermatology, built on proven workflows, real-world data, and established trust with clinicians and patients.
When Kjaer was diagnosed with skin cancer, the condition was quickly identified and resolved without long-term consequences. With DSCD, that might be the story of many more patients.
Gorm Bach Kjaer will share more details Denmark's Digital Skin Cancer Diagnostics at the HIMSS 2026 European Health Conference & Exhibition on 19 May at the Bella Center in Copenhagen, on the Transformation stage.
