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VisualDx Review: AI Powered Clinical Decision Support
VisualDx is a practice-improving, CME-earning artificial intelligence-enhanced clinical decision support system covering most specialties. Find out what our recommendation is after our clinician-tested review.
Medical Reviewer: Jordan P. Roberts, PA-C
VisualDx Summary
Key Purchasing Decision Points:
Content is updated regularly, but not at scheduled intervals
Practice-improving features validated and published in top-tier peer reviewed medical journals
Unlimited category 1 CME credits
Web/mobile app; point of care tool
One year subscription
1 year for $299 $249
Save $50 off list price
Top Features
Customized differential builder + guided workup
400+ patient handouts
Earn 0.5 AMA PRA Category 1 CME credits ™ with every search
Concise, actionable synopses for conditions seen in every specialty
Institutional Features
IP authentication
UpToDate interoperability
Integration with EHR
Risk CME accredited
Pros
- Unlimited CME earning potential
- Proven benefits for clinicians and patients
- Reduce diagnostic error, save time, and reduce costs
- Covers most specialties
Cons
- Not ideal for those who struggle to learn visually
- High tech nature may be intimidating for some (but is easy to use, trust me!)
Alternatives
Can VisualDx Improve Your Medical Decision Making?
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: a rash and a fever walk into a bar… then into your urgent care. Ok, there’s really no punchline, but it’s a familiar situation, no? Unless you are secretly double-boarded in dermatology and clairvoyance, you probably want some backup.
That’s where VisualDx comes in.
This AI-enhanced clinical decision support system (CDSS) helps you build custom differentials on the fly, especially when your patient’s symptoms are vague, their rash is, well…rashy, or your coffee hasn’t kicked in yet. VisualDx is built to support real-time clinical decisions with thousands of high quality medical images, peer-reviewed content, and genuinely useful tools and features that work well on iOS, Android, and desktop. It is one medical app that I personally think is a must-have for all practicing clinicians.
In this review, we’ll break down how VisualDx performs in the wild by answering the following questions:
- Does it work (is it evidence-based and clinically useful)?
- Does it actually save me time (can I use it in the exam room or on my lunch [read: charting] break [read: not a break])?
- Can I easily earn and claim category 1 CME from it?
- Is it worth the $299/year price tag (or the $249/year discounted price we’ve scored for you)?
We’ll also look at their image-recognition add-on, DermExpert, and help you decide if it is a worthwhile addition to your practice. If you are a resident, new grad, or established (and busy) clinician tired of digging through UpToDate for a pearl in a haystack, this review is for you.
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What is VisualDx
What started as a modest dermatology reference has grown into the world’s largest medical image library, encompassing just about every medical specialty, from emergency medicine to psychiatry (and of course, still dermatology).
I’ve been using VisualDx for a few years now and originally wrote this review in 2020. It’s been updated every so often, with the next major update published this year in 2025.
At its core, VisualDx helps you build better differential diagnoses, learn more about specific diagnoses, and keep up with your CME requirements. You know how they say a picture is worth a thousand words? Well, VisualDx takes that concept to the next level. See for yourself.
There are a few useful ways to use this app, which we’ll go through below, feature by feature.
1. Build a Differential Diagnosis in Seconds
One of the main strengths of VisualDx is its ability to help you construct a high-quality differential diagnosis based on the specific clinical facts of your case. You start by entering a Chief Complaint or selecting a Quick Start option: Dermatology (all skin types or skin of color), Ophthalmology, ENT/Oral Medicine, and Drug Reactions. Next, select your patient characteristics.
From there, you’ll be prompted to enter basic patient information (age, sex) followed by the option to select (or not) pertinent positives and negatives of the history and physical examination.
Once you are satisfied with the information you’ve entered, hit ‘view results’ to see a visually organized list of possible conditions grouped into different categories:
- Consider 1st
- Uncommon
- Emergencies
- And more
Each condition comes with images, summaries, diagnostic pearls, and further guidance to help you narrow things down quickly and confidently, even when your patient’s presentation isn’t textbook. If you are on a desktop, you can also compare diagnoses to further refine your own differential diagnosis.
Tap to enlarge
2. Diagnosis Lookup
Sometimes you don’t need to build a differential. You just need to confirm what you are already thinking, rule out zebras, or quickly review a condition you haven’t seen since the boards.
We’ve all done a quick (sometimes covert) online search before seeing a patient with something like Leriche syndrome listed on their medical history.
Each condition (even Leriche syndrome) has an accompanying visual representation – called the Sympticon (clever, no?) – to provide a brief summary of the condition.
It also comes with a concise, no-frills, action-points-only summary of the condition. Synopsis, differential, workup, maybe a couple of pearls, treatment, boom. Done. Perfect for the busy clinic or on rounds. Here’s what the search and results sections look like on both mobile and desktop.
Tap to enlarge
Tap to enlarge
Tap to enlarge
3. Earn CME While You Practice (really)
One of the most understated features of VisualDx is that it gives you Category 1 CME credit just for using it. Every time you look up a diagnosis or build a differential, you’re earning. No webinars, no hour-long videos, no post-test trauma.
Each qualifying search, differential built, or skin lesion analyzed earns 0.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™, and your progress tracks automatically in your account. To officially claim your CME, just answer two quick questions per activity, hit “Submit,” and download your certificate. That’s it. I racked up several credits just researching and updating this review, and like to think I’m correspondingly smarter for it.
If you’ve ever found yourself panic-hunting for CME before your renewal deadline or CME stipend expires, VisualDx makes it ridiculously easy to stockpile credits while doing what you're already doing: taking care of patients and looking stuff up.
Final Verdict: Is VisualDx Worth It?
So, let’s revisit those three questions we posed at the start:
Does it work?
Yes, and impressively well for the right use cases. VisualDx shines in situations where you need a fast, image-driven differential, especially for dermatology, infectious disease, and undifferentiated complaints. It won’t replace your clinical judgment, but it can absolutely sharpen it.
Can I use it when I need to?
Definitely. It’s fast, intuitive, and works seamlessly on desktop, iOS, and Android. Whether you’re in the clinic, on rounds, or hiding in the call room during your “lunch break,” VisualDx is built to fit the pace of real-world practice.
Can I easily earn and claim CME credit?
Yes again. Just by using the app for what you're already doing—looking up conditions or building differentials—you’re passively earning CME. Claiming it is quick, painless, and certificate-ready in a couple of clicks.
Bottom Line:
If you’re a clinician who sees patients and occasionally gets stumped (read: all of us), VisualDx is worth considering. It’s not a catch-all diagnostic oracle, but it’s a smart, well-designed tool that helps you think faster, learn visually, and meet CME requirements along the way.
And if you’re going to try it, here’s the good news:
Use our link to get it for $249/year instead of the standard $299
- That’s $50 off
- Includes unlimited CME
- Works across all devices
Try VisualDx now at the discounted rate (and get 7 days free).
Because the next time a weird rash walks into your clinic, you’ll be ready—and maybe even just a little bit excited about it.
DermExpert Review
Moving on. I am super impressed with DermExpert. Full transparency, my clinical background is in neurosurgery and psychiatry, definitely not dermatology.
But I think that’s the point. Most skin conditions aren’t managed by dermatologists.
So I decided to test it out on an undisclosed newborn daughter of mine.
Methodology
She just so happened to develop a mild rash on her face during the second week of life. I know, I know, I can hear all you derm folks shouting the diagnosis at me now, but bear with me.
I opened the VisualDx DermExpert app on my android, snapped a picture, and up came a list of differential diagnoses, images to which I could compare the actual condition, and options for next steps.
It was so easy even a surgeon (or mental health professional) could do it.
Security
The technology is cloud-based and HIPAA-compliant, and pictures you take are not stored, as an extra layer of security. Since I was taking pictures of my kid, this was a must-have for me.
Back to our experiment. Like any good clinician-scientist, I then curbsided a friend, who happens to be a pediatric dermatologist, and asked her to look at the rash.
We also had a well-visit scheduled with our daughter’s pediatrician the following day. All three (pediatric dermatology, pediatrics, and VisualDx DermExpert) agreed on the diagnosis.
To obtain an unbiased result, I did not inform either of them of the other’s differential beforehand. The consensus?
Results
A less than exciting case of neonatal acne. Of course, that may not be the hardest diagnosis to get right, but when you work in psychiatry, (ahem, me), every rash might as well be Stevens-Johnson syndrome.
DermExpert also has a quiz feature where you can test your knowledge and compete against clinicians from around the world via leaderboards.
DermExpert Quiz Example
Here's a screenshot of one of the quiz questions from my Android device.
As you can see (get it), it's pretty straightforward; an image and five options from which to choose.
Choose the number of questions, specialty area, and you're on your way in no time.
Easy studying, CME, and diagnosis verification.
VisualDx with DermExpert Summary
So to recap; DermExpert is great for broadening your differential, confirming your suspicions, and identifying possible next steps in the workup or management of the patient.
For new clinicians, using this, along with collaboration from more senior practitioners, can help you feel more comfortable with your clinical thinking sooner than you otherwise would.
- So, does it work? Yes!
- Can I use it when I need to? Sure can!
- Can I easily earn CME from it? Can and did!
Is it worth the price? Whether or not you are using your CME money to purchase access to this app, it is well worth it.
Folks like neurosurgeons and psychiatrists would likely benefit most from VisualDx alone.
On the other hand, clinicians in primary care, internal medicine, infectious disease, hospital medicine, urgent care, and anyone else who treats patients with skin should at least consider upgrading to VisualDx with DermExpert for an extra $100.
However, because of our special deal, you'll get DermExpert for free anyways. No additional action required.
Originally Published: August 19, 2020
Further Reading
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Explore the rise of LLMs in mental health. We've summarized the latest data on LLM-based chatbots' efficacy, privacy risks, and
AI as a Clinical Decision Support Tool in Psychiatry
With 66% of clinicians now using AI tools, the ‘digital consult' is here. But can an algorithm understand the nuance
*This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the ACCME through the joint providership of Med-IQ and VisualDx.
Med-IQ is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
Med-IQ designates this point of care activity for a maximum of 0.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™
Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
