Introducing BuildMyBod 2.0. The revolutionary way to check pricing from healthcare providers near you. Price transparency in healthcare used to be the stuff of dreams. But thanks to changing policy and political winds, the day of true price transparency has arrived!

Price Transparency and BuildMyBod 2.0: Hospitals

Traditionally, healthcare was the only area of commerce where you would find out the cost after utilizing their goods and services. Not anymore. With the BuildMyBod Health Price Estimator, you can research costs ahead of time.

Since January 1st, CMS, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, began requiring hospitals to post their prices online in a spreadsheet format. Additionally, the government is requiring that hospitals showcase their pricing within a user-friendly pricing tool. Granted, the tools developed by the hospitals themselves are more user-friendly than no tool at all, but still not as easy as the newly revamped BuildMyBod Price Estimator. For example, see how easy it is to research prices posted by MedStar-Georgetown University Hospital right here!

The user can choose their insurance plan or check the cash pay rate. And as per CMS guidelines, the user can see their potential out-of-pocket cost compared to other insurers. The video below explains how BuildMyBod Health is making it easier for hospitals to comply with these new CMS rules:

See how BuildMyBod can help hospitals with the new CMS price transparency rules

And whether it’s a hospital, surgery center or physician practice, the facility can choose how they want to show their pricing. The cash rate, bundled rate or allowable rate based on the consumer’s insurance.

Price Transparency and BuildMyBod 2.0: Physicians and Practices

As consumers explore pricing prior to a hospital visit, they will come to expect price transparency in all aspects of their healthcare. Eventually, physicians and physician practices will have to provide pricing info on their own sites.

However, in contrast to hospitals that are not allowed to require the user create an account to determine their out-of-pocket costs, physician practices can require the consumer enter their contact info prior to getting a quote. Therefore, physicians have the extra benefit of generating leads through their price transparency efforts.

To make it easier for the consumer, they will be able to create an account with their email address, Facebook or Google (gmail) account! Single sign-on technology is making account creation and lead generation easier than ever.

As consumer attitudes change, BuildMyBod will help private practices and physicians connect with consumers checking their pricing too!

Introducing the BuildMyBod PriceChecker Chatbot

For consumers more comfortable with texting and automated interactions, there’s an even easier method to check pricing. The PriceChecker Chatbot provides a “quick and dirty” method to check pricing.

Sure, it doesn’t provide the patient with video education or the ability to purchase online like the Price Estimator. But it does make the option of checking pricing easy, and front and center on the doctor’s homepage.

The PriceChecker Chatbot may become the practice’s newest employee of the month!

Demo of the Price Estimator and PriceChecker Chatbot

If you’re a consumer and want to check pricing near you, click here. If you’re a provider that wants to generate leads or a hospital that wants to comply with the latest CMS price transparency rules, click here.

Click here for the original blog post written by Dr. Kaplan for BuildMyBod.

The post Welcome to the future of price transparency! BuildMyBod 2.0 first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.

In the run up to the current vaccine approvals and post approval process, I’m blown away by what is making people worried about this vaccine. I’m not surprised they’re worried. Totally get that. But surprised by what they’re worried about!

Anxiety and fear are completely understandable for a vaccine that was developed in record time and with “newer” technology (mRNA (m = messenger)(RNA = ribonucleic acid). I say “newer” because while it’s the first vaccine coming to market using mRNA technology, the technology was actually developed decades ago. Yes, it was approved under an emergency use authorization so we don’t have years of follow up studies confirming its safety. However, with the millions of people who’ve received the vaccine either during trials or since release, severe reactions are very rare. Most side effects include short-term fatigue or headache. But with a greater than 94% effectiveness, these side effects are a reasonable tradeoff.

Of course we shouldn’t go into anything blindly. Of course we should have an idea of what we’re putting into our body. But the concerns people are bringing up suggest misinformation and rumors without a clear basis. My post below, along with this article and this article seek to allay some of those concerns.

Fertility

When someone expresses a concern, I don’t believe we should dismiss those concerns. I think we should be curious as to what is the underlying reasoning for their concern. Once we know, we can more accurately address that concern.

But in the case of fertility, it’s not clear where this fear is coming from. Do they think the vaccine causes a person to become sterile? Impotent? This article suggests the concern is a debunked cross reaction with placental proteins! I want to ask the people that cite this as the reason for not getting the vaccine, “what do you know about placental proteins?!”

An alternative reason for concerns about fertility may lie with the vaccine’s mechanism of action. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are messenger RNA-based vaccines. mRNA is genetic code that the cell uses as a blueprint for manufacturing proteins. In the case of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine, the mRNA goes into the cell and stimulates the cell to create the coronavirus’ spike protein.

The spike protein then goes to the cell surface and stimulates the body’s immune system to create antibodies to that protein. Keep in mind the presence of these manufactured spike proteins on your cell surface don’t last forever. They degrade over time like any protein. They’re there just long enough for your body to stimulate antibodies to them. And if the real coronavirus with its spike proteins enters the body, your immune system is primed and ready to produce antibodies to neutralize the virus.

But at no time does the mRNA ever enter the “inner sanctum” of the cell, the nucleus. This is where our genetic code is kept. Our genome, our DNA. By remaining outside of the nucleus when creating the spike protein, the mRNA never incorporates into our DNA. Therefore it is not passed on to your kids and does not affect fertility.

If additional reassurance is necessary in regards to fertility, keep in mind that The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology are very clear about vaccination during pregnancy and lactation. They’re for it!

Ultimately, the attempt to dispel a myth regarding fertility is the difficulty in addressing the underlying source of the concern (since it’s not always clear).

So imagine yourself listening to the news during this pandemic and the news anchor says, “Breaking News! Two companies have developed new vaccines for the coronavirus. They work by injecting the actual coronavirus into your bloodstream.”

Concerns over the vaccine technology

Back to the technology used in these first two vaccines. They use mRNA as a way to stimulate the body’s immune response as explained previously. Whether people are concerned that it’s the first vaccine using this technique or because of fear that it interacts with our own DNA (again, it doesn’t), I think it’s important for concerned citizens to consider the alternative types of vaccines.

Keep in mind that all of the vaccines you’ve ever received, stimulated your immune response by using 1) a live, weakened (attenuated) virus (eg MMR or measles vaccine), or 2) a dead virus (eg polio, hepatitis A, most flu vaccines). So imagine yourself listening to the news during this pandemic and the news anchor says, “Breaking News! Two companies have developed new vaccines for the coronavirus. They work by injecting the actual coronavirus into your bloodstream.” It wouldn’t matter that the vaccine contained weakened or dead viral particles. You’d run for the hills!

Therefore, a vaccine that produces a protein that allows your body to produce antibodies to the virus, without ever interacting with the virus itself, is progress. Consider yourself lucky to be living in a time where this technology is available. Now go out and get vaccinated!

Click here for the original blog post written by Dr. Kaplan for BuildMyBod.

The post You’re worried about this vaccine?! And other myths! first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.

Dr. Kaplan and the entire PHPS Family are excited to welcome Dr. Gaetano “Guy” Zanelli to the practice. He’s a board certified dermatologist with decades of experience. As you can see above, he brings new aesthetic, non-surgical devices to the office! Now taking appointments for the full breadth of medical and cosmetic dermatology, including:

• Botox and Dysport
• Facial rejuvenation with fillers
• Microneedling
• Leg vein treatments
• Laser hair removal
• Acne scarring
• Chemical peels
• Ultherapy for non-surgical facial skin tightening
• Laser and IPL Photofacial treatments for
  • redness (rosacea)
  • broken capillaries
  • brown spots
• Acne evaluation and treatment
• Cyst treatment
• PRP injections for hair loss
• Removal of moles, lesions and skin cancer
• Rosacea
• Warts

To get on his already busy schedule, please call or TEXT us at 415-923-3005

The post Introducing our new dermatologist: Dr. Gaetano “Guy” Zanelli first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.

Here’s the sad truth. Everything will be more expensive now. Regardless of what business you as a customer frequent, the business owners’ expenses are going up. And they’re not arbitrarily using COVID as a pretext to raise their prices. Expenses are up because restaurants, clothing stores, doctor’s offices etc are spending more on personal protective equipment (PPE) and cleaning supplies than ever before. Specifically in our practice, we’re spending more on PPE but also rapid in-office testing kits.

It’s not just the expense of buying more supplies. The supplies themselves are more expensive than ever before. Why? Because of the law of supply and demand. Manufacturers, suppliers and distributors recognize there’s a greater demand, so prices go up. While they may not raise the prices to usurious highs that are just plain price gouging, everyone’s costs are going up. So to cover these increased expenses, a businesses’ prices go up and pass those costs onto the consumer.

Everything will be more expensive now

Aside from supply and demand of PPE increasing prices, another economic phenomenon will come into play over the next several months and years. This pandemic has reaffirmed something we already knew. Our supply chain relies too heavily on countries that have experienced an epidemic several times in the 21st century. SARS in 2002/2003, MERS, H1N1 in 2009 and now COVID in 2019/2020. China, Taiwan and South Korea are the first affected by these epidemics.

The US will start to shift as much manufacturing as possible to facilities within our borders. This is great in reducing the unemployment rate by increasing the number of manufacturing jobs available. However, labor is more expensive in the US so the costs of those goods will be more expensive than those coming from Asia. Pro: it’s good for jobs. Con: it will cost us more. Intel is already in discussions with the White House to develop chip making factories here.

Cosmetic surgery costs and the airline industry

Airline tickets were less expensive in recent years. It wasn’t magic. By loading planes with more passengers than ever before, the airline could lower costs due to the volume of passengers. Now that the middle seat is gone, so are those discount fares. With fewer tickets available for purchase, airlines will have to raise their prices.

This is analogous to cosmetic surgery. Yes, prices will go up due to increasing expenses for PPE. But offices may not feel comfortable seeing as many Botox patients every day or operating on several patients in one day. With lower daily volume comes lower revenue. So doctors will be forced to raise surgery fees to counteract the loss in volume.

If you’re a consumer curious about pricing from a local doctor, click here. If you’re a doctor that wants to know how you fit within the competitive landscape, create an account and login here.

Click here for the original blog post written by Dr. Kaplan for BuildMyBod.

The post Why everything, including cosmetic surgery, will be more expensive now first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, better known as HIPAA, is a huge piece of legislation. While many new laws emanate from this Act, most Americans associate HIPAA with privacy and privacy alone. While the goal of “privacy” is certainly well-meaning, this bill instills so much frustration in the modern healthcare landscape. Around 1996, electronic transfer of protected health information was in its infancy. And Congress correctly recognized that safeguards were necessary to protect patients’ privacy in cyberspace. Sometimes you could argue the treatment is worse than the disease.

HIPAA Privacy Rules

According to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHH) website, “The HIPAA Privacy Rule establishes national standards to protect individuals’ medical records and other personal health information and applies to health plans, health care clearinghouses, and those health care providers that conduct certain health care transactions electronically.  The Rule requires appropriate safeguards to protect the privacy of personal health information, and sets limits and conditions on the uses and disclosures that may be made of such information without patient authorization. The Rule also gives patients rights over their health information, including rights to examine and obtain a copy of their health records, and to request corrections.”

How COVID-19 changed HIPAA Privacy Rules

Interestingly, the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) at the DHH is responsible for enforcing certain aspects of HIPAA. Those “aspects’ include privacy regulations. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, a majority of the country had to shelter-in-place. The result was that many patients were unable to attend in-person office visits. Therefore, the OCR informed providers that they would not enforce certain HIPAA guidelines with respect to privacy.

They said, “OCR will exercise its enforcement discretion and will not impose penalties for noncompliance with the regulatory requirements under the HIPAA Rules against covered health care providers in connection with the good faith provision of telehealth during the COVID-19 nationwide public health emergency.  This notification is effective immediately.”

What alternative platforms are available?

While not an endorsement, the OCR listed several well-known applications to use for video chat. For example, Apple FaceTime, Facebook Messenger video chat, Google Hangouts video, Zoom, or Skype. And those that use these platforms can do so “without risk that OCR might seek to impose a penalty for noncompliance with the HIPAA Rules related to the good faith provision of telehealth during the COVID-19 nationwide public health emergency.”

However, the OCR does encourage providers to let patients know that the chosen platform may not provide the security that HIPAA normally warrants. Luckily, a lot has changed since HIPAA’s passage in 1996. Back then, end to end encryption was not readily available.

Now, many of the devices we use have encryption to a level that is HIPAA compliant. Video,  once seen as just a nice feature on our phones, comes with secure features. The difference between these features on our phone and typical HIPAA compliant platforms is that our phones are actually easy to use. Previously, you could never use “HIPAA complaint” and “easy to use” in the same sentence!

Almost everyone in the US is comfortable with at least one of the following free platforms: Microsoft’s Skype, FaceTime or Zoom. They all provide encryption during a call. So while they may or may not have the official HIPAA compliance seal of approval (there isn’t technically a seal of approval by the way), they do provide privacy for patients.

The OCR did make clear that “Facebook Live, Twitch, TikTok, and similar video communication applications are public facing, and should not be used in the provision of telehealth by covered health care providers.”

Can we use these alternatives even after relaxing HIPAA privacy rules?

Eventually, these rules will return to their more stringent level. However, some of the easy-to-use platforms above will still be available for patient care. The OCR “simply” recommends that the provider obtain a HIPAA business associate agreement (BAA) with these companies. This is an agreement between the healthcare provider and whomever is providing a service that interacts in some way with protected health information. For example, FaceTime from Apple “handles” protected health information during a virtual consult. They don’t store or save the data, they just provide the conduit for the consult to take place. So for FaceTime to be HIPAA compliant, Apple must sign a BAA.

However, Apple is not willing to sign a BAA. And for that reason, they are not “fully” HIPAA compliant. To be clear, FaceTime’s technology is 100% secure from a HIPAA standpoint. But it won’t be considered “HIPAA compliant” because of a single unsigned document! It’s entirely possible DHH will revisit the wisdom of a document standing in the way of convenience and progress. Especially when the actual security threshold is cleared.

According to the DHH website, the list below includes some vendors that state they provide HIPAA-compliant video communication products and who will enter into a HIPAA BAA:

• Skype for Business / Microsoft Teams
• Updox
• VSee
• Zoom for Healthcare
• Doxy.me
• Google G Suite Hangouts Meet
• Cisco Webex Meetings / Webex Teams
• Amazon Chime
• GoToMeeting
• Spruce Health Care Messenger

We’re better off than we were before

In the past, we thought a platform could only be considered HIPAA compliant if it was a pain in the ass to use. During this COVID pandemic, when the rules were relaxed and we were allowed to use encrypted technology on platforms we were already familiar with like FaceTime, Skype and ZOOM, our instinct was: this can’t be HIPAA compliant, it’s too easy to use! Now that we’ve come to this realization that a platform can protect our privacy and be easy to use, we’ll never go back!

Click here for the original blog post written by Dr. Kaplan for BuildMyBod.

The post Will HIPAA privacy rules be relaxed permanently? first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.

Join the Bae Club (aka Club Kaplan)!

For those of you not aware by now, Dr. Kaplan goes by Dr. Bae on social media! As silly as it sounds, this online persona has taken on a life of its own. He’s still the same person regardless, but being Dr. Bae in the Bay Area just made sense on Snapchat and Instagram. Spelling it B-a-e rather than B-a-y is simply a play on words.

And now Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery and Dr. Kaplan are launching the Bae Club! The Bae Club is an additional way to provide our patients with a high end, VIP experience.

When you join the Bae Club, you’ll enter a world of special offers just for you and the ability to treat yourself year round. Check out either the Membership or Package below and see which fits your needs best:

The Bae Club Injectables and SkinCare Membership:

• Up to 20% off Botox/Xeomin, fillers, Latisse and Obagi skin care products.
• Get treated, or purchase, as much and as often as you like and always get up to 20% off.
• All you do is pay a low monthly membership fee (automatically charged to a card on file).
• Purchase must be made online by clicking the button below. Can not purchase in office.

Purchase your Membership HERE!

The Bae Club Wrinkle Reducer Package: 

• Come in the office every three months, get 20 units of Botox/Xeomin and walk right out of the office!
• Instead of paying a lump fee for treatments at each appointment, you pay a little each month with an automated charge to your card on file.
• You’re getting the treatments anyway but instead of paying the full amount every three months, you pay a monthly fee that covers your cost for the year – but at a 15% discount!
• Purchase must be made online by clicking the button below. Can not purchase in office.

Purchase this Package HERE!

We know something new like this can be confusing so please don’t hesitate to call with any questions. Dr. Kaplan (aka Dr. Bae) and his team are always available! Call or TEXT us at 415-923-3005.

The post Introducing the Bae Club! first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.

Agree to be on social media

The short answer in my case, is no. We do not give the patient anything to coerce them into being on social media. We simply ask. And if they have concerns, we delve into what those concerns are. If we can allay those concerns in one pass and they agree, great. If not, that’s end of the conversation. We don’t shame them or hold a grudge.

But under no circumstances do we offer any favor or treatment or money in an effort to get them to agree to be on social media. There are several reasons for this. We don’t want them to feel pressure. If there is some renumeration, there’s a risk they would regret it and have buyer’s remorse.

There’s also a power or education gap between the patient and doctor. The doctor is in a position where their mere presence can cause undue pressure on the patient to make a decision they normally would not.

Ironically, you don’t have to offer the patient anything to be on social media. By the time they reach out to our office, they’re already following us on social media. They’re already learning from us. And for that reason, they want to be on social media. Just as they learned from other patients that agreed to be on social media, they want to pay that education forward.

Click here for the original blog post written by Dr. Kaplan for BuildMyBod.

The post Why would patients agree to be on social media? first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.

If you’re in or around Sacramento tomorrow or already attending the California Society of Plastic Surgeons’ (CSPS) Annual Meeting, don’t miss Dr. Kaplan’s 1-hour social media course! But Dr. Kaplan only has 25K followers on Instagram, you say? What makes him an expert worthy of giving a course?! He doesn’t consider himself an expert but he’s in the trenches utilizing social media on the reg so he has something to offer. Continue reading to find out what!

Social media course at the CSPS Annual Meeting

The CSPS Annual Meeting is a wonderful gathering of the best and brightest of plastic surgeons in California. And with so many plastic surgeons in California active on social media, it only makes sense to have a social media course.

Because Dr. Kaplan (aka @RealDrBae on Instagram and Snapchat) is very active on social media on a daily basis, he suggested a course on the topic. Surprisingly, one had not already been scheduled. But after giving a well-received presentation on social media to the Greater Sacramento Society of Plastic Surgeons a few weeks ago, he got the opportunity to give a similar course at the CSPS this year.

While hesitant to refer to himself as an expert, his presentation reviews the nuts and bolts of social media. Through a mix of video and screenshots of the various platforms in action, Dr. Kaplan’s course will provide a great overview to the social media novice and explore some of the more engaging aspects of Instagram. Since social media is a rapidly changing space, he always has more content to add from presentation to presentation and that also means that even the most seasoned social media user can learn something new.

Course Description

The newest plastic surgeon right out of training can get busier, faster simply by being social media savvy. That means we all need a basic understanding of the power of social media. Dr. Kaplan, aka @realdrbae on Snapchat and Instagram, will give a thorough overview of the social media platforms that are transforming plastic surgery practices across the country. You don’t need to have a ton of followers to be successful. You don’t need that X factor. Anyone can do this. But you should try to be the best you can be.

By attending this course, you will: 1) gain a basic understanding and the differences between Snapchat, Instagram, Instagram Stories, Instagram TV and Facebook Live; 2) receive ideas for clever content to be used on social media; 3) become familiar with various engagement tools on Instagram; 4) learn how to create content once and then repurpose on all platforms; and 5) monetize your leads by capturing the contact information of your followers

Space in limited – don’t miss this opportunity to hear the latest trends on social media.  Cost for the course is $45 and it is free to Residents/Fellows/Medical Students. Register online for the course on the CSPS registration page  OR if you have already registered for the Annual Meeting, contact the CSPS Executive Office directly to add this course to your registration:  cspsoffice@att.net or (510) 243-1662.

Hope to see everyone there!

Click here for the original blog post written by Dr. Kaplan for BuildMyBod.

The post Dr. Kaplan giving social media course at CSPS Annual Meeting first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.

Dr. Sheila Nazarian of the Nazarian Institute and Nazarian Plastic Surgery recently sat down with us to explain why she focuses on building a large email database even though she has a huge Instagram following (@drsheilanazarian).

The world according to Dr. Sheila Nazarian!

While many doctors engage with their followers through social media, that engagement is very tenuous. Not because followers will stop following “their” doctor in mass. But as Dr. Nazarian explains in the video below, social media platforms like Instagram or Snapchat may change their algorithms. And when that happens, the doctor that the consumer is following may not appear as readily in the consumer’s feed. Sure they love their doctor, but “out of sight, out of mind” rings true in this situation.

A change in algorithm can turn a doctor’s successful social media experience into a nightmare overnight. The same can occur with an algorithm change within Google. One day the consumer can find a particular doctor with a Google search, the next day, they’re not listed on page 1. And even if it’s not a drastic change, any algorithmic change can adversely effect a doctor’s social media or web traffic.

Dr. Nazarian also points out another risk in relying too heavily on social media. What if it becomes a “pay to play” scenario. Currently anyone can be successful and grow their business on Instagram without paying to promote, or “boost” their posts. Compare that to Facebook Business pages. If a business posts something on Facebook and does not boost it, only 6% of their followers will see that post. And if the business has over 500,000 followers, only 2% of their followers will see an organic, non-paid post.

Facebook is already clearly pay to play for businesses. If Instagram does that, businesses will either have to pay dearly to continue connecting with their followers or choose another option.

Building your email marketing database

As Dr. Nazarian explains, using the BuildMyBod Health platform on her website has protected her, or at the very least, mitigated the damage that could be done by changes in algorithms or revenue streams in the future. By generating almost 2,000 unique leads in less than 2 years through the BuildMyBod Price Estimator alone, she can continue engaging with consumers even if there was a dreaded update.

The Price Estimator on her site allows the consumer to check pricing on her services after entering their contact info. They get instant gratification in the form of an email with a breakdown of costs, and she gets a lead. Those are leads from her target audience. An audience that includes tech savvy consumers interested in cosmetic services, who now have a realistic understanding of the financial costs of such cosmetic services.

Video of Dr. Nazarian, keeping it real

Click here for the original blog post written by Dr. Kaplan for BuildMyBod.

The post Dr. Sheila Nazarian: you need your own email database! [video] first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.

You probably didn’t know price transparency was being utilized for any healthcare services, much less cosmetic services! But it’s true. Consumers are demanding price transparency, ie knowing how much services are going to cost before they get said service. It seems like a novel idea but we know the cost of a service ahead of time in every other industry. Somehow, medicine was the exception, until now.

Initial objections to price transparency in the cosmetic space

When we started our journey along the path of price transparency, we started within the realm of cosmetic services. Cosmetics is easier in the sense that patients pay the cost out of pocket. There is no insurance middleman. Still, doctors said giving the consumer pricing info ahead of time was too difficult. What if the patient isn’t a candidate for that procedure? What if they need more than one syringe of filler. While these are examples of potential obstacles in rolling out price transparency initiatives, they’re about the lamest excuses ever.

Without knowing anything about cosmetic services, anyone with half a brain would understand how to overcome these objections. What if the patient isn’t a candidate for the procedure they checking pricing for?! Then you’ll educate the patient regarding the correct procedure, just as you would with any patient with unrealistic expectations, regardless of whether they knew cost ahead of time.

What if they need two syringes of filler?! Then list the price for one syringe of filler and, wait for it….list the price for TWO syringes of filler! As long as you’re providing accurate estimates, it’s worthwhile actionable information for the patient. They will understand if the estimated price they saw ahead of time doesn’t match the price given after the consultation – as long as the price difference is due to the doctor recommending a more appropriate procedure that is significantly different than the patient’s preconceived expectation. Conversely, if the pre-consultation procedure is the same as what the doctor recommends and the price is different, then that’s probably an example of a bait and switch. That’s not a problem with price transparency. That’s a problem with how your parents raised you!

Examples of how price transparency works across all healthcare sectors

If there were ever any doubts that you couldn’t provide useful pricing information for medically necessary outpatient services typically paid out of pocket because the consumer hadn’t met their deductible, then doubt no more! Enter, the Ohio Surgery Center and Georgia SurgiCare. Both providers/facilities provide pricing information in the form of a Price Estimator on their website.

The unique aspect of how they showcase their pricing is that the consumer gets instant, automated pricing information but only after the consumer provides their contact info. So the prospective patient gets what they want immediately, satisfying that need for instant gratification. And the provider gets the consumer’s contact info, a lead for follow up. Everyone wins.

These two facilities provide their pricing in two different ways. And that’s the point. Everyone can embrace price transparency in their own way and generate a lead in the process. That’s price transCAREncy! In the case of Ohio Surgery Center, the consumer can choose their insurance plan and then the procedure of interest. After the prospective patient enters their contact info, they receive an email with the allowables that the Ohio Surgery Center can charge for the doctor’s fee, the anesthesiologist’s fee and the OR fee based on that procedure and insurance plan. Pretty slick!

And in the case of Georgia SurgiCare, their website allows the consumer to check pricing on procedures from their multi-specialty clinic. They include procedures such as bariatric or general surgery services, as well as gynecological services. While the more medically necessary services are presented as bundled rates that include the MD, OR and anesthesia fees, their cosmetic services are shown as “simple” out of pocket fees.

No more excuses!

Price transparency, as demonstrated above, can be showcased in multiple ways. From insurance allowables specific to the consumer’s insurance plan to bundled or fee-for-service prices. It’s not a matter of “will it happen?” It’s happening! See how you can join the #PriceTransCAREncy revolution here!

Click here for the original blog post written by Dr. Kaplan for BuildMyBod.

The post Price transparency isn’t just for cosmetic services anymore! first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.

The healthcare industry typically views price transparency with disdain and suspicion. But price transparency can be sexy! Price transparency is a bold, seminal way to approach customer service and lead generation.

Why fear price transparency?

Healthcare providers worry about the advent of price transparency for many reasons. It could be the concern that patients will focus on cost rather than the doctor patient relationship. Or worry their competitors will check their pricing and try and undercut them. With various insurance plans and deductibles, it’s considered too difficult to offer actionable pricing insights to the consumer.

All of these concerns are understandable. But they’re also surmountable, as detailed below.

Price transparency is the greatest lead generator

If patients want to price shop, they’ll price shop. We can’t stop that. But by offering price transparency in combination with lead generation, like here, providers can capture the consumer’s contact info in the process of providing automated pricing info. With their contact information, the doctor’s office can follow up with the patient and explain why their practice is a perfect fit for that patient.

Based on this peer-reviewed study, when followed over a year, 17.8% of leads generated through this method (price transparency combined with lead generation) eventually come in for a consultation. And when price-aware consumers come in for consultations, they’re 41% more likely to book a procedure than non price-aware patients. Ostensibly due to the avoidance of sticker shock.

Detractors may say this only works for cosmetic or cash-based procedures. But as the Ohio Surgery Center demonstrates, the consumer can choose their insurance plan, choose their procedure of interest, and then receive a breakdown of the insurance allowable for surgeon, anesthesia and facility fee specific to that procedure and insurance plan.

Price transparency is a customer service opportunity

Consumers have no baseline comparison of the costs of healthcare. They don’t know if an MRI will be $500 or $5000 out of pocket depending on the facility they go to. Not having any baseline for comparison is very crippling for a consumer. It becomes impossible to make a rational financial decision.

Which is why the consumer would be all the more delighted and appreciative to find a doctor that could shed light on the financial options. If a healthcare provider was willing to offer that information in an actionable format, that would be a huge customer satisfier. Which in turn would set the facility apart from the competition.

When you consider that 82% of all calls to a doctor’s office are related to cost of care, it’s clear this is a huge customer service opportunity. It’s an opportunity for the practice to offer the consumer online, easy-to-determine, actionable information on their out of pocket costs. But it’s also an opportunity to help the front desk staff reduce frustration when they’re manually responding and answering calls and inquiries related to cost. Consider the improved efficiencies if the consumer could check pricing online through the practice website, freeing up the office staff for other more pressing tasks.

Price transparency attracts millennials

Figuring out how to attract millennials is the subject of every marketing companies’ email newsletter. The first step to attracting millennials is making useful information available online. As shown in the image below, this particular millennial reached out via Instagram Direct Message to ask about the cost of a procedure.

In the past, doctors would answer this in one of two ways, both incorrect. They’d either say, “you have to come in and be seen before we can provide a cost estimate.” And the other is to give the inquirer a cost estimate without ever determining who they are. But as seen in the example above, this medical practice gave the prospective patient a link to go back to their website to check pricing automatically. This offered the consumer instant gratification and, in turn, a lead for the practice to follow up with.

And remember, one benefit of providing pricing info ahead of time is to reduce sticker shock and increase the conversion rate. Once the millennial (or any potential patient), learns the costs through a doctor’s website, they’re motivated to take the next step: booking an appointment.

The ability to book online is a huge “millennial satisfier.” This example epitomizes the secret to engaging and booking millennial patients: creating an experience that allows them to perform all tasks online until the point they can no longer perform a task online, ie undergoing a procedure, that by its very nature, requires an in-person experience!

In the case above, this patient

• received automated online pricing information,
• booked a consult via online booking,
• had their consultation via FaceTime
• and booked/paid on the spot.

Be on the right side of history

As physicians, we’re bound to provide the patient with all relevant information so that they can make an informed decision about their healthcare. Cost is relevant. How can we uphold our oath if we knowingly withhold information that could enable our patients to make better financial healthcare decisions?

Click here for the original blog post written by Dr. Kaplan for BuildMyBod.

The post Price transparency can be sexy! first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.

Why do we advertise with Facebook and Google AdWords? Because we want to be exposed to a large, but specific, demographic that has interest in the services we provide. The only problem is that using these services isn’t free and it certainly isn’t cheap. Wouldn’t it be nice to continue to promote our services to the correct demographic, but not break the bank? The solution? Email marketing to your growing email marketing database. With a large email marketing database, you can own your brand and market to your audience whenever you want…without having to pay “the man.”

Using your website and social media traffic to grow your email marketing database

To market to your email database at your whim, without paying large sums of money for digital advertising, requires growing a substantial email marketing database. But how do you get a large database? First, you can load your existing customers or patients to your email database. But then you must, on a daily basis, continue to passively grow that database.

When getting started, yes, you could grow that database with digital or other types of advertising. But from the start, your goal should be on reducing your dependence on digital advertising by capturing as many consumers as possible through 1) optimization of your website and through 2) organic (non paid) activity on social media.

Optimizing your website “simply” means adding fresh content to your site on a weekly basis. This can be done with blogging. Blog about treatments you perform or interesting questions patients have asked you. Blog about the state of healthcare in this country. The point is, by blogging, something that costs nothing, you can increase visitors to your site. Once they arrive on your site, you need to capture their contact info to passively grow your email database. But more on how to do that in a moment.

When it comes to social media, we are constantly feeding the social media beast with more and more content. What do we have to show for it? How often do you actually find out the contact info behind the social media handle? Do you know who @gayleprettylips is? Do you know who @sexycajundiva is? Probably not. So just as you want to capture the contact info of the consumers on your site reading your blog, you want to capture the contact info of your anonymous social media followers. There’s one great way to accomplish this.

How to passively build your email marketing database

Whether it’s readers of your blog or social media followers engaged with your content, when it comes to cosmetic or medically necessary services, there’s one common question everyone ultimately has…how much does it cost?

Certainly when this question is asked, you could just respond with a dollar figure or a range. But once you “give the milk away for free,” you’ve given up a great opportunity to capture the consumer’s contact info. If you direct the consumer to a Price Estimator on your site that allows them to check pricing automatically, but only after providing their contact info, you’ll start passively growing your email marketing database. And growing it fast! Dr. Jason Hall, a plastic surgeon in Knoxville, Tennessee has used his Price Estimator to capture almost 3,000 leads (2,964 as of this writing) through this one lead source.

Certainly there are other “calls to action” that will capture consumer contact info, as discussed in this Modern Aesthetics article, but none are as tantalizing as the offer to provide pricing information. For example, compare “Download our eBook” or “Sign up for our e-newsletter” to “Get A Quote Now.” The latter is much more useful to the consumer than the former.

As you can see in the video below, Dr. Rich Castellano uses Facebook Live for filler demonstrations. In the video, he’s asked how much the treatment costs three separate times. Instead of just offering a number, he directs the consumer to the Price Estimator on his website so he has a better chance of capturing their contact info, and building his database in the process.

My practice receives questions daily through Instagram Direct Messages regarding price. Similar to Dr. Castellano, we direct the consumer to our Price Estimator. But we do one better. As you see in the image below, we provide the consumer with a clickable direct link in our response. So when they click that link, they’re taken directly to the specific procedure in question, rather than just sending them to our pricing page and requiring them to find the procedure they’re looking for. By placing them one step closer to their answer, it’s placing us one step closer to capturing their contact info when they submit their “wishlist” to check pricing.

Aside from cost, why Facebook advertising just isn’t good enough

When advertising on Facebook, you don’t advertise to all 2 billion users. You select the geographic area you want to advertise to. You select the age range and other demographics. But what’s fascinating is that even with Facebook’s huge trove of consumer data, you can’t actually select for the demographic that’s interested in cosmetic or other specific healthcare services. As shown in the ad builder screenshot below, you can only approximately identify your target demographic’s interest.

For example, if trying to advertise to someone interested in something as broad as cosmetic surgery or as specific as a facelift, you can’t do either. The best you can do is advertise to someone interested in health and wellness or fashion and beauty. Sure, there may be some crossover but this clearly demonstrates why your own growing email marketing database is better than what Facebook has to offer.

The estimated reach of the potential ad above is 3,600 to 9,600 people that may or may not be your target. If you have an email marketing database of over 9,100 people (as I do) that are clearly interested in my services (because they submitted pricing inquires for services I offer), then my database is more useful that what I could target through Facebook.

Stop relying on platforms that only allow you to approximate your target audience. With an email marketing database filled with consumers inquiring about pricing on specific services you offer, you know you’re targeting the correct demographic. And not only is your targeting better than what Facebook has to offer, it’s substantially less expensive. So what are you waiting for? Start passively building that email marketing database!

Click here for the original blog post written by Dr. Kaplan for BuildMyBod.

The post Oh the places you will go with your own email marketing database! first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.