Factors influencing time to case registration for youth with type 1 and type 2 diabetes: SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study.

•SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth is the largest ongoing registry of diabetes in United States.•Plots for time from diagnosis to registration were developed and differences tested.•It took 2–3 times longer to register youth with type 2 versus type 1 diabetes.•It took longer to register if the referring provider was not an endocrinologist.•Diagnostic suspicion bias for type 2 diabetes in minority youth was detected.•Referral patterns reflect the decentralized nature of the U.S. health care system.