Answer Reporters Questions On Medical Spa MD & Get Yourself Free PR!

Answer reporters questions directly on Medical Spa MD and get yourself some free PR?

This is a new service  to give our Members access to reporters who are looking for information for medial reports and press.

In order to prevent spammers from overrunning both Medspa MD and your inbox, we've got some rules. Please follow them. Here they are:

1. Login to leave a response: This allows you to post your email and be contacted without making the reporter's (or your) email publicly visible to the spammers. (If you're not a Member yet, you can join here. It's free, which is a terrific price.)
2. Post your complete answer: Don't just post junk like 'contact me for more information' or the like. Reporters are busy and we want them to know that Medical Spa MD is a reliable source. If you don't make a good stab at answering the question, we'll have to remove it which is a waste of everyone's time.
3. If the reporter wants to talk to you, they'll be able to contact you: If you leave a comment when you're logged in, someone can click on your name and find your email (if you've added it). If they want to contact you, they can follow up directly with you via email. (Please don't abuse this or try to contact the reporters directly. If they complain about it, we'll have to box your ears and possibly suspend your account.)

Press Request - Effectiveness & Safety Of Home Light LED Skin Care

Request from Carleen Coulter (Editor Beauty and Fashion Tech)

Please read the rules before responding.

I am looking for quotes from dermatologists and estheticians for a series of 5 articles for Beauty and Fashion Tech that will be cross promoted on Glam Media, which has a large audience. If you (or your client if you are a publicist) can give a short quotable reply to any of the following questions, please do! No need to answer all if you do not fee qualified or lack the time. Any number of responses, or even a single answer helps. Also please provide the name and credentials to be used with the quote. Many thanks!

1. Are at home light therapy devices effective? Why or why not?
2. Are at home light therapy devices safe? why or why not?
3. Is laser tattoo removal effective? Why or why not?
4. Who is best suited for laser tattoo removal?
5. Is laser tattoo removal painful?
6. Which is more effective, chemical peels or laser peels?
7. Who might be a better candidate for a laser peel as opposed to a chemical peel and vice versa?
8. Which is more commonly used, chemical or laser peels?
9. What current popular beauty treatments could be advanced further in the future? How will they/might they be advanced?
10. What do you think will be next big state-of-the-art development in beauty treatment?

Carleen Coulter (Editor Beauty and Fashion Tech)

Please include the number of the question you're responding to in your answer in the comments. Read the rules about responding to press requests first.

Patients Billing Their Doctors For Being Late

Guest post by Pam Wible MD

Should patients be holding medical spas or plastic surgeons to the same standards as other businesses?

Meet Elaine.

We lost touch for a while, but caught up with each other recently.

Like most girlfriends, we shared adventures of love, travel, and work. I told Elaine that I left assembly-line medicine. Now I host town hall meetings-inspiring citizens nationwide to design ideal clinics and hospitals.

Elaine shared: ”If I’m kept waiting, I bill the doctor. At the twenty minute mark, I politely tell the receptionist that the doctor has missed my appointment and, at the thirty minute mark, I will start billing at $47/hour.”

Wow! I had to hear more.

Elaine scheduled her physical as the first appointment slot of the day. She waited thirty-five minutes in a paper gown before getting dressed, retrieving her copay, and informing the receptionist to expect a bill. The doctor pulled up just as Elaine was leaving.

Prior to her initial visit, Elaine signed the standard agreement outlining no-show and late fees. On follow up, Elaine knocked on the door and discovered her therapist with another client. He apologized for his scheduling error. Elaine sent a bill; check arrived the following week.

Elaine values herself and her time.

When the Comcast guy told her to wait at home between 3:00-6:00 pm, she said, “Expect a $141.00 bill. Is that okay with your boss?” A compromise: The driver agreed to call fifteen minutes ahead of arrival.

I was intrigued. Who pays for waiting?

Cab drivers charge hourly for waiting. Restaurants may provide a discounted meal for the inconvenience. Airlines cover hotel rooms for undue delays. Some physicians apologize. I offer a gift.

Central to medicine is a sacred covenant built on mutual trust, respect, and integrity. What happens when physicians fall into self-interest or self-pity? Or when physicians are so emotionally, physically or financially distraught by their profession?

Patients suffer. And their wait times increase.

So what’s a doc to do?

1. Remember: Respect is reciprocal. If physicians are on time, patients will be on time. If physicians don’t cancel appointments with little notice, patients won’t either. Doctors should stop charging fees they are unwilling to pay themselves.
2. Functional clinics attract functional patients. Patients fall to the level of dysfuntion within a clinic. A chaotic, disorganized clinic attracts chaotic, disorganized patients. Take care of yourself; uphold high standards and healthy boundaries.
3. Don’t wait. Doctors should apologize for delays. And if presented with an invoice for excessive waiting, doctors should gladly pay the fee. Fortunately, most patients don’t bill at the doctor’s hourly rate.

My opinion. Share yours:

About: Dr Pamela Wible is founder of Ideal Clinics and writes at Freelance MD.

The BODY Conference & Aesthetic Summer Ball At The Royal Society Of Medicine In London

If you're in the UK and in aesthetic medicine, the BODY Conference would be the place to be this November 5th and 6th.

Now in its third year, BODY2011 is the sister conference to& FACE – the UK’s largest conference on facial aesthetics. It follows the same format in aiming to provide the highest quality national and international speakers in their respective fields of scientific interest to update your clinical knowledge and explore new market opportunities in the dynamic BODY aesthetics industry.

Many practitioners attend events focused around their individual specialty or area of expertise, and do not often meet practitioners with different training and backgrounds working in the UK aesthetic industry.

BODY provides a broader scientific agenda that brings all specialties together at one meeting to provide a unique opportunity for debate and to learn more about the specifics of the many different market segments that make up the BODY aesthetic market place. BODY 2011 will be the largest UK congress this year devoted to the rapidly expanding non-surgical and surgical BODY Aesthetics sector of the Cosmetic Market, and is a must attend event for practitioners and clinics operating in this exciting market segment.

Why can't we have some medical conferences with a Ball over here?

I've been in email contact with Raffi Eghiayan who puts on these conferences and maybe we can get something done.

Plastic Surgeon Allegedly Posted Nude Photos of Clients With Names

Six women in St. Louis have filed a lawsuit against a plastic surgeon who allegedly posted nude photos online of their torsos before and after surgery with their names attached to the images.

Is you website putting you at risk?

From an  ABC Morning story

Six women in St. Louis have filed a lawsuit against a plastic surgeon who allegedly posted nude photos online of their torsos before and after surgery with their names attached to the images. The women say this was done without their consent or knowledge.

The before and after photos appeared in Google images if the women's names were searched or if the doctor's name was searched, according Neil Bruntrager, the attorney representing all of the women. He said that if a viewer hovered the curser over the image, the woman's name would appear below the photo.

"Some of these women have public positions—lawyers, teachers, CPAs—all kinds of people who would be searched," Bruntrager said. "They were horrified. Every one of them has said, 'I'm embarrassed. I'm humiliated.'"

Here's what probably happened.

Images on the web use something called an 'Alt Tag' (alt = alternative) that gives information to search engines since they can't tell what images are of. These are often used when building a web site to categorize and 'tag' images so that whoever is building the website can tell what they're looking.

Hover over some of the images in the righ column and you'll see examples of Alt Tags in action.

In this case, the before and after pictures were 'labeled' with the names of the patients.... probably not intentional but it does make the women identifyable and the search engines will pick this up.

Make sure that this is not you.

The Medical Spa MD Physician Report Out! Download It Here.

Join Now To Receive These Free Reports

The FREE Medical Spa MD Physician Report is now available. Whew.

Our entire report team has been busting their ass collecting answers from physicians and clinics for the last month and compiling them into the only report of it's kind that deep-dives into aesthetic medicine and gives you information you can't find anywhere else. (Thank you Dar, Apple, Marco, and Laurie!)

We've taken on a herculean task in compiling this report and we're pretty happy with the result.

The Medical Spa MD Physician Report researches and tracks all aspects of what's working in cosmetic medicine (and what's not), not only in the U.S. and Canada but across the world.

These reports are published to give our entire physician and clinician community access to the information, statistics, and inspiration to improve their medical (and business) results.

Do you want to know how other clinics are choosing technology, attracting new patients, marketing to their existing clients and compensating their staff? Would you like to discover what's the most effective uses for that new fractional laser, or what other clinicians think of it? Could you use more info about how successful medical spas are expanding their business, saving money, or deciding on what new treatments to add or get rid of?

Answer yes to any of the above you will love, love, love this new report.

Download the report here.

 

The Medical Spa MD Physician Report

With the power and knowledge of our growing membership, our goal is to bring together all the valuable information, successes and failures; giving you an insider’s point-of-view to improve your business and your bottom line. Which products sell best? Which treatments are most profitable? Which equipment manufacturers are recommended and which are not? Our reports deep-dive into the various areas, such as “Growing your business”, “Advertising and marketing”, and “Staffing and training”.

The reports generally include a survey of cosmetic clinics around the world, an interview or case study, and an area for sponsors or select partners who wish to get in front of our Members and readers with their products and services. To begin, we reached out to not only our member base, but also other prominent doctors in our field. The response was overwhelming. About 80% of our respondents practice in the US, but the other 20% come from all over the world, including South America, Europe, the Middle East and Russia. About 92% are physicians, with the other 8% working as RNs or PAs in cosmetic clinics and medical spas.

Another way to contribute to our Physicians’ Report is to participate in our monthly interview. We choose and office or medical spa each month to get their unique perspective on running their business. The interviews add insight into working medical spas and cosmetic practices, what works, what doesn’t work, successes, failures and anything else you want to share with your peers.

A special thanks to our growing group of physicians and clinics for participating in this month's report. If you would like to join our panel, please sign up to contribute to the next report here. The more participation we get, the greater the value for the group. (Sign up to contribute to the next report here.)

Do you have a suggestion to improve our services or an idea for as research project you think we should be doing? Would you like to be interviewed, or sponsor a report? Please contact us.

Warmly,

Founder, Medical Spa MD

P.S. Please feel free to distribute, email, link to, tweet, post or send this report to anyone who may be interested as long as you do not modify or change the report in any way.

Contributing Physicians & Clinics

The following is a partial list of the physicians and clinics that contributed to this report and gave us permission to identify and link to them. Sign up to contribute to the next report here.

Note: We do not identify individual physicians or clinics with specific answers to make sure that all respondents can be completely candid in their answers. (Our surveys are done through our online software and provide confidentiality and anonymity and they take about 10 minutes to complete.)

Honolulu Medical Spa

kaplancosmeticsurgery.com

plasticsurgerytoday.com

advancedskinwisdom.com

beautybybuford.com

silkyimage.com

doctorguillermocienfuegos.es.tl

northwesternplastics.com

lovethatface.com

WinchesterLaserCosmetic.com

iversmd.com

paceslasermd.com

LaserCosMedix.com

cos-medica.com

renovomd.com

mycosmeticsurgeon.md

cincinnatiskinlaser.com

atlanta-liposuction.com

foreveryoungmedspa.us

landonplasticsurgery.com

sciencemedispa.com

doctoretxeberria.com

drmatlock.com

773lipo.com

faceandlegs.com

paceslaserMd.com

cos-medica.com

JaneAesthetics.com

naturophoria.com

delajeness.ru

koe-aesthetics.de

centrosbys.com

dermavogue.net

smacboca.com

plasticsurgerysandiego.com

rhamawy.com

LaserCosMedix.com

wimedispa.com

landecker.com.br

jdvmedspa.com

chirurgiefaciala.ro

RomoPlasticSurgery.com

NewportWellessBoutique.com

drminniti.com

dryveshebert.ca

doctorhoefflin.com

monarchbaylaser.com

thenyac.com

mandalaclinic.pl

plasticsurgeryoftheface.com

Our contributing physician list is growing fast. Thank you to the physicians and clinics who have contributed to this report.

I'll Be Speaking At The Medical Fusion Conference, Nov 11-13

I'll be speaking (twice) at the non-clincal Medical Fusion Conference on November 11-13th in Las Vegas.

The Medical Fusion Conference is a unique event that allows clinical physicians the opportunity to learn about unique niches where they can apply their clinical knowledge and gain real control of your income and lifestyle. (Isn't that why most docs are in cosmetic medicine in the first place?)

I've been to a lot of aesthetic and cosmetic conferences and trade shows, but this conference is different. I went to it last year and the result was that we launched Freelance MD!

Medical Fusion is purposely small. It allows you to sit down (multiple times) with any or all of the speakers and pick their brains. (If you've been to any of the big conferences you know that a the end of a talk or session there's a pack of people around the speaker for ten minutes and that's about it. Not at Medical Fusion.)

Who is Medical Fusion for?

Any physician who wants more control of their income, career, and lifestyle.

• A plastic surgeon who want's to learn how to invest in real estate.
• An internal medicine doc who want's to retire and write a book.
• A dermatologist who want's to leave clinical practice and consult to big pharma.
• A family practitioner who want's to leave Medicare and Medicate and start a concierge practice.
• A surgeon who want's to make sure his retirement is secure.
• An ER doc who want's to travel and work internationally.
• A Pediatrician who want's to publish a children's book.
• A cosmetic surgeon who's ready to grow his cosmetic practice or medical spa.  ; )
• Any doctor who's thinking of leaving clinical practice.
• Any doctor who want's to spend more time with your family and kids.
• Any doctor who's looking to increase their income.
• Any doctor who's looking for a change.

And that's just a part. In short, if you're a physician who want's to take control of your life, this is the conference for you.

Read what other physicians are saying about the Medical Fusion Conference

I'll be speaking on two topics; how to start/add/run and grow a cosmetic practice, and how to use online technologies to make money as a physician.

There will also be speakers on personal finance, investing, product development, and a bunch of other stuff including concierge medicine which a lot of you have expressed interest in. (More about that in another post.)

Register before October 10th and reserve your room at the beautiful Aria Resort for a special discounted room rate of only $179 plus resort fee. These rooms are regularly around $400. (You must book your room at the Aria prior to October 10th to lock in these special rates!)

Take a look at some of these videos that Greg made about Medfusion and then run over and register for the Medical Fusion Conference.

Discover all of the options available to you as a physician.

Medical Fusion isn't just another conference where you're sitting around and listening to an endless parade of speakers that lecture from behind a podium. Instead, you'll have every opportunity to talk to any speaker you're interested in learning more from. Our Accelerator Sessions are a perfect chance to make connections and deep-dive into the areas that are of interest to you.

More about our Accelerator Sessions

Concierge Medicine

By Greg Bledsoe MD

One of the most rapidly growing clinical practice models in the US these days is Concierge Medicine.

In Concierge Medicine, a physician cuts out third-party payers and contracts directly with his or her patients.  The patients pay a retainer and the physician agrees to limit the practice size so he or she can provide exceptional access to these patients.

While this model has become very popular with a certain segment of the population and many physicians, it is not without critics.  I wrote a recent article on Freelance MD about the ethics of Concierge Medicine and the arguments for and against this model. 

Since we've received so many inquiries about Concierge Medicine, I decided to post some resources here about the subject.  In addition, for those of you who will be attending the Medical Fusion Conference this November, you'll be able to hear one of the leading experts on Concierge Medicine, Dr. Steven Knope, discuss the subject personally (and have the opportunity to sit down with Steve individually at our Accelerator sessions).  Steve is the author of the book, Concierge Medicine: A New System to Get the Best Healthcare.  

Here's a video interview with Dr. Steven Knope describing Concierge Medicine:

 Here's another interview with Dr. Knope that appeared on FOX Business:

Here's a short video in which I describe Concierge Medicine and how we'll be discussing Concierge Medicine at the Medical Fusion Conference.

Learn more about the Medical Fusion Conference

Can Nurse Practitioners Offer Botox?

Guest Post By Carolyn Buppert, NP, JD

Can Nurse Practitioners offer Botox, Restylane, Juvederm and other cosmetic treatments on their own?

The answer to this question is going to be state-specific. Here are the steps to follow:

1. Read your state's Nurse Practice Act section on scope of practice for nurse practitioners to answer these questions: What acts require physician collaboration or supervision? How is collaboration or supervision defined? (Boards of Nursing in the United States: State-by-State Web Links)
    
2. Go to your state's Board of Medicine Websites and search for any policies on provision of botulinum toxin (Botox®). Note that botulinum toxin is a prescription medication, so a prescription or order for the medication must be written and someone must administer the drug. If your state has policies on botulinum toxin, note the requirements for prescription and administration. Some states consider administration of botulinum toxin a medical act, and some states consider it to be within the scope of a registered nurse. Prescribing is always a medical act.
    
3. If you live in a state that requires no physician collaboration when nurse practitioners prescribe, then as long as the Board of Medicine has no requirements with respect to botulinum toxin, you are free to proceed with your practice idea. If your state requires physician collaboration in order for nurse practitioners to prescribe, then you'll need to line up a collaborator. In most states, the collaborator does not need be on site, but in some states, the collaborator must practice at the site with specified frequency. Follow the rules as they relate to any prescribing.

About: Carolyn Buppert, NP, JD is an attorney practicing in Bethesda, Maryland.

---

Defamation via Twitter? Doctor Files A $1 Million Suit In Oregon

By Joy Tu, VP Medical Justice

A Lake Oswego doctor has filed what appears to be the first Twitter-based defamation suit in Oregon.

Dr. Jerry Darm is suing Portland blogger Tiffany Craig for $1 million, alleging she damaged his reputation with “false, defamatory and malicious” statements made online, according to a complaint filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court.

The case stems from commentary Craig posted on Twitter and on her blog, Criminallyvulgar, where the 31-year-old IT worker writes about everything from the recent passing of former governor and senator Mark Hatfield to computer technology, gaming, the treatment of women in comics and her large collection of shoes.

From the news story:

Craig said she was watching the 6 o’clock news one evening in late June when she saw one of Darm’s television commercials. The doctor advertises his business, Aesthetic Medicine, widely and appears regularly on local talk show segments to give advice on dealing with wrinkles and other skin and body issues, hair removal, leg veins and weight loss.

“Through idle curiosity I Googled him just to see what he was all about,” Craig said. “I found pretty much the same information as the television advertising. … It got me thinking about how you would find information about doctors or other medical professionals if you wanted, without the advertising.”

Later, she posted on Twitter that “a little bit of research into @drdarm revealed a pretty nasty complaint filed against him for attempting to trade treatment for sex in 2001.”

In a blog entry that followed, she mentioned the TV commercial, criticizing the ad’s “results may vary” disclaimer:

“Seen that around? Sure you have,” Craig wrote. “If you watch television in Portland Dr. Darm is ubiquitous. Especially on those local channels that show endless reruns of Two and a Half Men. He wants to fix you up good and spend thousands on cosmetic procedures that will get funneled straight into his Lake Oswego home.”

“What he should have added with his Results May Vary disclaimer is Dr. Darm Handed Over His Medical License Due To Disciplinary Action.”

In 2001, the Oregon Board of Medical Examiners reprimanded Darm for “an inappropriate boundary violation” after a patient complained he offered to accept intimate physical contact as payment for after-hours laser treatment of “spider” veins.

Darm also faced discipline in California and in Washington based on the situation in Oregon, where the state medical board required him to complete educational courses about doctor-patient boundaries and risk management and prohibited him from treating adult women without a chaperone. Those restrictions were removed from Darm’s license in 2009.

Darm’s attorney declined to comment on the case but Craig’s attorney, Linda Williams, has filed a special motion to strike Darm’s complaint under Oregon’s anti-SLAPP statutes, which aim to prevent any “strategic lawsuit against public participation” on the grounds of free speech.

This procedural protection allows a defendant to request review of a speech-based lawsuit early in the process so the court can consider whether there is any probability the plaintiff can prove the case, Williams said. “If there is not,” she said, “the court can dismiss the case.”

The protection applies to speech in a public forum on topics of public interest.

Williams contends that Craig’s comments – speech made in the public forum of the Internet – were opinions based on facts in publicly available documents. A hearing on the motion is set for later this month.

Quoted from the Lake Oswego Review story: Defamation in 140 characters or less

Of course this is a non-starter as a complaint and Dr. Jerry Garm is shooting himself in the foot. Instead of quitely asking Craig to remove her tweet (being read by probably 5 or 10 people), Dr. Garm now has made everyone aware of his previous issues and has many more people aware of his "inappropriate boundary violation" issue. Not the kind of thing that gets you ahead and certainly a suit that he can't win.

About: Joy Tu is the Vice President of Strategy & Business Development for Medical Justice, a company that protects physicians from frivolous lawsuits.

Submit a guest post and be heard.

One Medical & The Patient Experience: Dr. Tom Lee

The patient experience: so many people talk about improving it, but very few people have actually done something tangible about it.

Dr. Tom Lee is a rare exception: his company, One Medical provides an excellent patient experience in primary care. Here he describes the challenges and pitfalls in delivering a better experience, despite the torturous constraints in the American medical system.

Oregon Chiropractors & Dentists Ban Groupons

The Oregon Board of Dentistry has banned the use of Groupons by the states dentists... and Oregon's chiropractors have followed suit.

Groupon seems to be an either love them or hate them marketing tactic as shown in the very strongly worded comments on our post Are Groupon Deals Killing Your Medical Spa.

Here's the Groupon that started the debate:

And here's the Board of Dentistry's newsflash banning Groupons for Oregon dentists.

!!NEWSFLASH!! Internet Coupon Advertising!!! Please Read!!

The Board has recently become aware of different companies soliciting Oregon licensees to enter into contracts for marketing promotional services between the licensee in the company to promote voucher systems for potential patients. The Board has preliminarily determined that these may violate the unprofessional conduct rule OAR 818-012-0030(3) which prohibits offering rebates, split fees, or commissions for services rendered to a patient to any person other than a partner, employee or employer.

The Board suggests that until this can be fully reviewed by the board, licensees proceed with caution and if they feel necessary seek legal counsel on this matter or contact board office at (917) 673-3200.

Source: Oregon Board Of Dentistry

Of course the Oregon Board of Dentistry is not the only professional organization to come down against Groupon. The Oregon Board of Chiropractic Examiners (OBCE) also decided not to amend its fee splitting rule to exclude such sites as Groupon and Amazon's Living Social.

OBCE decides not to amend fee-splitting rule

Groupon Issue July, 25, 2011

The Oregon Board of Chiropractic Examiners (OBCE) declined to begin rule making to amend the prohibition on fee-splitting on their July 21st meeting at the University of Western States. This decision means Groupon type fee-splitting arrangements are still prohibited for chiropractic physicians.

The OBCE has been reviewing the issues of group bond and similar Internet or other marketing programs for several months. They had potential draft language produced by the administrative rules advisory committee along with the dissent by one of their members outlining the potential problems with the language. (Note: The Summer 2011 Back Talk quoted testimony in support of Groupon.)

Arn Strasser DC, appeared before the OCBE and made a statement in opposition of changing the rule stating, "... the question is what the schemes such as group on, where we would join restaurants, nail parlors and tanning salon, along with medical providers such as dentist and cosmetic surgeons, due to our credibility and how the public perceives us? In my opinion, offering discounted services in the fee splitting away with companies such as group on undermines our credibility..."

OCBE members were concerned that changing the rule with the potential for problems and unintended consequences. They cited the difficulty in trying to craft a workable exemption.

The OCBE also heard that two other such marketing programs have changed their set up for health professionals from a fee splitting arrangement to vastly marketing program ( living social and Fox 12 daily deal). OCBE members wondered why group on could not do the same thing? (The question has been posed the group on but no answer has been received yet. ) they felt it would be better if the advertisers change their program for health professionals, instead of the OCBE amending the fee splitting rule prohibition.

Source: The Oregon Board of Chiropractic Examiners (OCBE)

So is this it? The start of a global Groupon boycott that will eventually spread from Oregon dentists and chiropractors to medical spas and laser clinics in every state and end the daily deals industry?

I doubt it. We expect this is pretty much a medical industry issue--perhaps one that will be limited to Oregon (although we suspect other states will now be looking at it, too). But it does impact Groupon's total market opportunity somewhat.

It does surprise me that it's the dentists and chiropractors that seem to be taking the lead on this and not the physicians.

Thoughtful comments welcome.

Recommended reading: Are Groupon Deals Killing Your Medical Spa

Introducing The New & Free Medical Spa MD Physician Report

The Physician Report from Medspa MD is a free monthly report complied from physicians and clinicians in medical spas and laser clinics.

Each new report contains answers about what other laser centers, skin clinics and medspas are doing to manage their business, save money, and increase profitability, from opinions on IPLs and software, to marketing, staff compensation, and specific treatment modalities. It's the inside scoop on what other physicians are doing, and what they think.

The Report is distributed to more than 5,000 physician Members via email as well as mainstream and online media outlets.

(Members can also access the archive in the Members Only area.)

Get specific answers from leading physicians and cosmetic practices.

The Medspa MD Physician Report researches and tracks all aspects of what's working in cosmetic medicine (and what does not).

So, we're not an agency, consultancy or other vendor seeking your business. All of our research is published for the entire Medical Spa MD community to benefit from. Our goal - to give physicians and clinicians the information, stats, and inspiration to improve their medical (and business) results.

Do you want to know how other clinics are choosing technology, attracting new patients, or compensating their staff? Would you like to discover what's the most effective settings for your new fractional laser, and how to avoid problems and complications? Could you use more info about how successful clinics are growing their business, negotiating with vendors, or saving money?

Answer yes to any of the above you'll love this free monthly report.

Each month, a new report contains answers about what other laser centers, skin clinics and medspas are doing to manage their business, save money, and increase profitability, from opinions on IPLs and software, to marketing, staff compensation, and specific treatment modalities. It's the inside scoop on what other physicians and medical spas are doing, and what they think.

Medical Spa MD researches what works in cosmetic practices through exclusive case studies, surveys, interviews and data analysis. Then we publish and distribute the report monthly to more than 5,000 Medical Spa MD Member Physicians as well as online and mainstream media. Join Medspa MD to receive the report.

Physician Report FAQ

Here are some answers to frequently asked questions.

How Do I get The Report?

Just join Medical Spa MD. It's free, which is a terrific price. (Members are able to download archived reports from the Members Only Area.)

What's in the Report?

Specific answers from other physicians and clinics. Each month, we email specific questions to physicians practicing cosmetic medicine and compile their answers into an easy-to-read Report that's then distributed to our Members. It's easy to read and provides information about what physicians practicing cosmetic medicine are thinking and doing to manage, control and grow their business.

But that's not all.

We also include specific case studies, interviews and we even have a sponsor area that will allow our Select Partners and other service and technology companies to offer one-time limited offers to our subscribers.

Can I contribute?

Yes. If you're a physician or clinician practicing cosmetic medicine, you can become one of our Contributing Members by submitting the form below. (The report deals with specific medical treatments and technology and is limited to licensed and practicing medical clinicians; MDs, DOs, PAs, NPs, and RNs)

Are Contributing Members Personally Identified?

No. Contributors are not individually identified inside the report. While clinicians can choose to identify themselves as a contributor on their own website by adding one of our badges, our process ensures that individuals are not associated with any specific response so that they can be absolutely candid in their responses.

Who are Contributing Physicians & Clinics?

Contributors are the clinicians that are in the trenches. They're the physicians and clinicians who own and run skin clinics, laser clinics, medical spas, plastic surgery centers, and cosmetic dermatology practices. Many of our contributors are Medspa MD Members but that's not a requirement.

Become a Contributing Member

Complete this form to contribute to the report.

If you're a licensed clinician (MD, DO, NP, PA, RN) and would like to be included as a Contributing Member, please fill out this form. You will then be added to our Contributing Members and receive a monthly questionnaire. (Submitting this form does NOT mean that you're a Medical Spa MD Member. You'll need to join Medspa MD to receive the report.)

After completing the application form you will be contacted by our team who will answer any questions or concerns you may have.

Questions?  Leave a comment and we'll answer them.

Your Medical Spa Is Going To Be Sued

New England Journal of Medicine: Most doctors (and probably your medical spa) in America will be sued at some point during their career.

A Harvard study released yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine has found that physicians who perform high-risk procedures, including neurosurgeons, obstetricians, and plastic surgeons, face a near certainty of being named in a malpractice case before they reach age 65.

Yet a relatively small number of claims, about 22 percent, result in payments to patients or their families.

Authors of the study, which examined 15 years of data, said it highlights the need for changes in malpractice law so that doctors and patients can resolve disputes before they resort to litigation, which often costs both parties money and heartache.

“Doctors get sued far more frequently than anyone would have thought, and in some specialties, it’s extremely high,’’ said Amitabh Chandra, an economist and professor of public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and an author of the study. “In some sense, the payment is the least important part, because you can insure against it, but you can’t insure against the hassle cost.’’

The study looked at malpractice claims data for nearly 41,000 physicians from 1991 to 2005. The researchers found that 7.4% of physicians had a malpractice claim against them each year and that 1.6% had a claim that led to a payment each year.

Chandra and his coauthor, Dr. Anupam B. Jena of Mass. General, said they hope their study will dispel the fear that many doctors have of big payouts. Their study found just 66 claims that resulted in payments exceeding $1 million. Average claims by specialty ranged from $117,832 in dermatology to $520,923 in pediatrics.

So how can you lessen your chances of being sued by an unhappy patient even further?

Previous studies have shown that patients are less likely to sue when they receive an apology and explanation from their doctor.

Brian Rosman, research director of Health Care for All, said everyone will benefit if patient- doctor communication is divorced from legal proceedings and could actually inprove the quality of care. That would allow doctors and hospitals to deal more directly with the root cause of an error.

One medical society has been working with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, using a $273,782 federal grant, to design a plan for a system that would encourage apologies and compensation, when justified, in Massachusetts. The plan is set to be released this fall.

It seems that nearly universal support exists for a system that encourages doctors to apologize and prevent the escalation of an unwanted outcome into a malpractice lawsuit.

Of course, this wall of scilence goes up on both sides. As soon as an unhappy patient contacts a lawyer they're instructed to have no further contact with the doctor to prevent anything that might mitigate damages or obstruct the lawsuit, like an admission to the doctor that they didn't follow instructions or a 'softening' of their stance as the identify with the physician as a person.

When I was running Surface Medical we ran in to this very problem many times. In one case in Park City, Surface Medical Spas and two of our physicians were sued by a patient who had been burned during an IPL treatment.

Have you been in a lawsuit? Have you ever appologized to a patient?