In an email Wednesday, UnitedHealthcare said the cuts affected less than 10 percent of the state’s physicians, which would translate to fewer than 1,000 physicians. While the company manages its network on an ongoing basis, UnitedHealthcare does not expect to make any more changes to its size in Missouri this year.

While Craft said he thinks physicians of all specialties have been affected, this month’s cut seems to target dermatologists, ophthalmologists, gastroenterologists and orthopedic surgeons.

Dr. George Hruza, a Chesterfield dermatologist and president-elect of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, received the network termination on June 2. After contacting St. Louis area dermatologists, he learned at least 36 had also been terminated. That amounts to almost half of the skin specialists in the area.

In St. Charles County, for example, he said three dermatologists had been cut from the network. Those three are the only specialists in the county who perform Mohs surgery, which has a 99 percent cure rate for the most common type of skin cancer.

“This area has a lot of farmers, so a lot of people who have sun damage — these patients are now asked to find another doctor,” Hruza said.