Dr. Bae:
Hey Greg, how you doing?

Greg:
I am amazing Dr. Bae. Hey, I wanted to talk to you about this, you are very transparent with your pricing. You have a pricing tool right here on the website that people can find out how much something cost. Not everybody can pay for everything right upfront I mean, you’re not going to sit here and tell people, “Yeah I can do this for next to nothing.” And I don’t want my surgeon saying that by the way.

Dr. Bae:
Right. Cheap plastic surgery isn’t good and good plastic surgery isn’t cheap.

Greg:
No. So tell me some options that people have, maybe I can’t roll out five, six, seven, $10,000 just right off the bat but I want to get a procedure done that cost that.

Dr. Bae:
Yeah. So it’s a tough question because we don’t want people overextending themselves but there are definitely ways of financing these operations through different services. We don’t actually do any in… people ask all the time, do we do in-house financing? We don’t do in-house financing meaning that we won’t do your operation for nothing upfront and then you pay us back over time. We don’t do that but we do use some finance… You’d be surprised how many people ask that-

Greg:
Well, and by the way, I don’t do that for the radio station either. I don’t say, “I’ll work for a couple of months and you pay me later.” So I get that. I don’t do that either Dr. Bae.

Dr. Bae:
So that’s what I’m hoping is once the utility company says, “Oh, we’ll just give you the electricity [crosstalk 00:01:35] and you can pay us next year.” That’s when I’ll start doing. But for now what we do is that we use some third-party financing companies. We use CareCredit which a lot of people use, not just for cosmetic procedures but if you have a high deductible health plan and you got to pay out of pocket for medically necessary services, people use CareCredit for that, they use it for dental work. So we use CareCredit, We use another company called Alphaeon Credit, there’s Prosper Healthcare Lending. There’s several of them out there and they do things different ways as far as how they pay but the idea is that we get paid upfront for the service from that company and then the patient pays them back.

Dr. Bae:
So like CareCredit for example, they will pay the pers… pay the CareCredit back. The consumer will pay CareCredit back monthly for a certain period of time. And the thing people need to keep in mind there are options. There are some options like you can do six months no interest where CareCredit pays us everything and then if you pay CareCredit back within that six month period, you have to pay them the full amount but no interest that’s pretty awesome. But just to be sure-

Greg:
That is awesome, that’s like cash, yeah.

Dr. Bae:
It’s like cash but just be sure that you’re going to be able to pay it back within that six months because if not, then they are going to start to add interest and the interest is like 26%. It’s very high. Now-

Greg:
Oh, I see you do financial advice to Dr. Bay. So you are a financial advisor and… Yeah I mean, [crosstalk 00:02:55] don’t understand the interest rates and stuff like that so you have to do your research.

Dr. Bae:
Right. And that you got to keep in mind, how do these companies make money? They don’t make money by paying… people paying them back interest free in six months, they make money by people not being able to pay them back in six months interest free and then they have to pay a 7th and 8th month and the 9th month with that 20% interest rate. So of course, whatever advice I’m providing make sure you clear with an accountant first or your tax advisor. But the other thing to keep in mind is like, okay, well still you’re thinking, “Okay. You know what? I can’t afford it six months. I can’t pay it all off in six months so I don’t want us to be stuck paying some usury interest rate for that after those six months.” So the other option you might think is like, “I’ll pay it off over five years or I’ll pay it off over six years.”

Dr. Bae:
And they do have plans like that but keep in mind, those interest rates are pretty high too. Maybe they’re not as high as 26%, but they are may be like 14% or something like that. So they do get kind of high if you’re not going to pay them off within a year or two. So just keep that in mind, be safe, read the fine print. The fine print is there. They’re not trying to hide it from you. They have actually, I think by law had to made the fine print bigger. It can’t be as fine has to be bigger and easier to read. The other thing the state of California has done is that we can’t sign you up for CareCredit. That’d would be the way it could be done in the past and we could be done honestly where we would sign the patient up for CareCredit.

Dr. Bae:
They would give us their information and we would physically sign them up online. Now we no longer can do that. They have to physically log in and sign up for themselves because obviously some doctors may be or some institutions were signing people up without their knowledge so that’s why you can’t do that anymore. We never did that of course but anyway, read the print, know what you’re getting yourself into. And a lot of people you’d be surprised I mean, even if your credit score is not awesome, people are still getting approved by these different companies and they’re getting their procedure and hopefully paying back the company to keep the company whole so they don’t turn them over to collections.

Greg:
All right. And what about crypto coin? Do you take crypto coin? That’s a big thing-

Dr. Bae:
We do actually. You got to-

Greg:
What?

Dr. Bae:
Yeah you got to stay up with all the time. So yeah, we take Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Dozer Coin. We [crosstalk 00:05:08]. I don’t know that we can take XRP right now. I think that’s tied up in litigation the SEC or whatever but yeah, we do take crypto coin if people are interested in paying that way. The trick is to get paid by that crypto coin and then cash it out immediately because the price fluctuates [crosstalk 00:05:28]. Yeah somebody can pay you when it’s $10,000 and then when you’re cashing in it’s $8,000, you just lost $2,000 on the operation but-

Greg:
There you go. [crosstalk 00:05:36] got to work out your finances on your end too.

Dr. Bae:
Exactly. That is true.

Greg:
All right. Well thanks Dr. Bay. And if you want pricing, it’s right here on the website, everything is transparent. You can book appointments, you can call to ask questions. You can email to ask questions or probably the easiest way is to reach out on social media.

Dr. Bae:
Yeah, you can reach us on TiTok, Snapchat, Instagram @realdrbae R-E-A-L-D-R-B-A-E. You’re a great spokesperson Greg, I might pay you to do this.

Greg:
Oh, you should in crypto. I’ll take Bitcoin.

Dr. Bae:
Fair enough.

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

The post Financing your medical or cosmetic procedure first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.

This weekend, Dr. Jonathan Kaplan, Founder/CEO of BuildMyBod Health is lecturing on social media and social media influencers at the AACS in Vegas!

BuildMyBod Health: A primer

For those of you not familiar, BuildMyBod Health allows consumers to check pricing on healthcare services that are typically paid out of pocket. They are paid out of pocket because 1) you haven’t met your deductible for a medically necessary service (think colonoscopy, lab test or X-ray) or 2) because the procedure is considered cosmetic and insurance doesn’t cover it anyway. Consumers interested in pricing can visit BuildMyBod.com or download the BuildMyBod iPhone app. Even more user friendly, consumers can utilize the BuildMyBod Price Estimator on a doctor’s website.

Regardless of how you find the doctor, you add procedures or services of interest to your “wishlist.” Then submit your wishlist along with your contact info. After that, you’ll instantly get an email with a breakdown of the costs and the doctor’s contact info. The doctor’s office will also receive your contact info for follow up. By receiving your contact info, the doctor’s office can help you navigate through the healthcare process.

What presentations are on tap at the AACS?!

On Saturday, Dr. Kaplan will speak on utilizing social media influencers in your practice. What’s the difference between influencer pages on Instagram and social media influencers? How can you tell if a social media influencer that wants free product to promote your practice has a legitimate following? Dr. Kaplan will provide the attendees with the tools and knowledge to answer these questions.

If you’re attending the AACS in Vegas, be sure and attend his lecture and panel discussion. It’s not everyday you learn something new!

To check pricing on healthcare services through the BuildMyBod Health platform from a doctor near you, click here. Or to sign up as a provider and offer pricing information to consumers in an automated way and generate leads, click here.

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

The post Dr.Kaplan speaking at AACS in Vegas this weekend! first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.

Postop recovery on the cheap!

As the video below suggests, there are two options to accomplish each postop goal. When it comes to where you recover, sure, you can go to a postop recovery “house.” These can be expensive and the level of care is not always assured. You may be best simply going home and getting in your own bed initially. But don’t stay in bed too long. You should also get up and move around to avoid getting blood clots in the legs.

The other potential problem with a recovery house is they may do something different than what your doctor recommends. Whereas if you go home and do what your doctor tells you to do, there’s no one suggesting otherwise.

To buy a booty pillow or not to buy a booty pillow

There are many websites that sell booty pillows for your post-BBL recovery. The idea is that when sitting on a booty pillow, it keeps the pressure off the buttocks while recovering from a Brazilian Butt Lift. The reason sitting directly on the buttock is supposedly bad is it hinders blood supply to the newly transplanted fat cells.

Rather than sitting on a booty pillow to reduce pressure, you can sit on anything that accomplishes this same goal. For example, you can take the decorative round pillow from your couch and place it under your thighs. This will provide the same result.

Check out the video below to see our perspective on a host of other recovery options.

Video: Keeping it real during your postop recovery

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

The post Postop recovery on a budget [video] first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.

Patients often ask me how they can make their Botox last longer. In other words, how can they make their facial wrinkles stay away for more than three to six months. And not just the typical lines treated with Botox like in between the eyebrows. But also the forehead lines and crow’s feet. Well, here’s the answer, sort of. A study was performed with a competitor to BOTOX® Cosmetic, known as Xeomin®, but it provides the same insight.

Making Botox last longer (or Xeomin in this case)

The study looked at what would happen if a doctor gave a patient more Xeomin than usual in a particular area. For example, 20 units to the 11’s or lines in between the eyebrows typically lasts for three months. So what would happen if 37 patients were divided into three groups. One receiving 20 units, one receiving 60 units and one receiving 100 units to the 11’s. How long would the effect last in each of those three groups?

Based on the results, the patient’s 11’s returned after ~4 months if they only received 20 units. But the effect lasted ~7 months in some patients with 60 units and ≥11 months in some patients with 100 units!

By 9 months, 23% of those in the 100 unit group continued to have no wrinkles in between the eyebrows (11’s).

According to the study, safety of Xeomin at higher doses was favorable, with no unexpected safety findings. So next time you’re getting your Botox fix, ask your doctor about getting a higher dose of Xeomin for longer lasting results.

To check pricing from Dr. Kaplan, click here.

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

The post How to make Botox last longer? Triple the dose! first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.

Dangers of Botox Injections

So in short, the dangers are extremely minimal, temporary and rare. Botox or Xeomin (and all of the products mentioned above) are injected with a small needle. The most common areas to treat are the lines in between the eyebrows, forehead and crow’s feet. It can also be helpful for TMJ pain, lines around the mouth, a gummy smile and sweaty palms.

“…the dangers are extremely minimal, temporary and rare…”

A physician can treat all of these areas with minimal issues other than bruising, that’s the most common danger. Obviously that’s temporary and won’t affect the final results. Next “up the ladder” of potential dangers is over-treatment that can make you look frozen or make one eyebrow droop more than the other.

The most serious risk that people often cite is difficulty breathing. This is very rare and may occur in situations that are completely NOT cosmetic. Some patients with torticollis, a severe contraction of neck muscles, will use Botox to relax those muscles so they can straighten their head and neck. There’s a nerve that runs along those muscles that controls breathing. So yes, it’s possible to over treat those muscles and affect breathing. But clearly, this is a very rare disorder with a rare complication due to Botox.

In summary, Botox or Xeomin are very safe products to use for reducing wrinkles. And while there are no studies showing that Botox or Xeomin is safe in pregnancy, there are also no studies showing it’s unsafe either.

To check pricing on these services from a doctor near you, click here.

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

The post What are the dangers of Botox injections? first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.

Cardi B and her liposuction

You would think that if she was planning surgery, she would have set aside some time to recover. Liposuction recovery requires one to two weeks tops. So why does she need more time to recover even after returning to work? She said her doctors told her she needed to, but really?

If you were tired and were feeling like you overextended yourself, you would choose to take time off and recover. So why did she need to ask the doctors about taking time off? The only reason to ask a doctor for more time off is so they can write you a note or excuse for your boss. Cardi B doesn’t have a supervisor! So why did she need the doctors to tell her to chill?

“Cardi B doesn’t have a supervisor!”

The most likely reason her doctors are telling her to take more time off is because she has a complication. Maybe she has an infection that needs IV antibiotics. Maybe she has a fluid collection under the skin that needs drainage. Regardless, she’ll ultimately be fine but it is awkward to have this happen when you’re a public figure.

Dr. Kaplan on 99.7 Now

If you’re interested in learning the cost of liposuction from Dr. Kaplan, click here.

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

The post Dr. Kaplan talks Cardi B and her liposuction with 99.7 Now! (video) first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.

Don’t forget the under eye wrinkles!

The orbicularis oculi muscles around the eyes are responsible for creating the crow’s feet. Those muscles are always active throughout life. But the crow’s feet start to show as the skin thins with age.

As the orbicularis wraps around the lower aspect of the eye, around the lower lids, this muscle can also cause under eye wrinkles. Often times, your doctor will inject and treat the crow’s feet but forget about the lines under the eyes. The concern is that if treating too much of the muscle with too much Botox/Xeomin, the patient will have trouble closing the eyes.

However, there are ways to relax these under eye wrinkles and avoid those pitfalls at the same time. First, just treat the outermost aspect of the under eye wrinkles. Next, use a very small amount of Botox/Xeomin (less than 5 units) and inject very superficially.

This will smooth out those wrinkles, complementing the smooth wrinkles where the crow’s fee used to be. To check pricing on this treatment from Dr. Kaplan, click here.

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

The post Botox or Xeomin to the crow’s feet and under eye wrinkles first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.

If you could shorten the sales cycle for your cosmetic practice, you would, wouldn’t you? It’s possible if you provide enough personalized information online for the consumer. That way, by the time they come in, they’re not just coming in for a consultation, they’re coming to book!
 

Bookers, not consultations!

As the video below from Dr. Rich Castellano explains, he’s been so successful with his marketing that by the time the patient comes in, they’re ready to book. How is that? Because he’s answered every question online in the form of his website, seminars, or maybe more importantly, through his social media videos.

The beauty of using Snapchat or Instagram Stories is that consumers see the “real” you talking and interacting with patients. They see your mannerisms, similar to telemedicine. Once they know you online, they need details about the procedure in question. That’s available on your website. They’ll want to see before and after photos. That’s also on your website. They’ll want to see the actual procedure. That’s available on Snapchat or Insta Stories.

But the ultimate pain point will be the cost. A patient can get a pretty good estimate via the BuildMyBod Health Price Estimator like this one on Dr. Castellano’s website here. After absorbing all of the information needed, what’s left? A consultation. But not a typical consultation to get to know the doctor. Been there, done that. At this point, the consumer is only confirming this is the same person they saw online and then they’ll swiftly move to book their procedure!

Video of Dr. Rich Castellano explaining how he gets bookers, not just consultations

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

The post Don’t get consultations…get bookers! [video] first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.

Hey, before you get upset, we encourage you to leave comments about stupid sh*t that doctors say too! Because we know that even though patients say some silly things, we’re all capable! Also, try and keep a sense of humor about all of this.

Things patients say: I’m allergic to that pain medication – it makes me nauseated.

All pain medication has the potential of causing nausea on an empty stomach. That’s a side effect, not an allergy. This isn’t just semantics. It’s an important difference. An allergy can be a severe adverse reaction to a medication, like anaphylaxis, that could lead to death.

Will I have a scar after my operation?

Yes, everyone does. Silicone scar cream can help though.

Will the scar disappear after it heals?

No. It will fade but not disappear. Even if it’s a plastic surgeon doing the sewing, it won’t magically disappear.

Is this operation gonna hurt/be painful?

Yes. We’re cutting your skin. But your doctor can help you manage it.

Can I save money by not having an anesthesiologist during surgery?

Of all the things to skimp on, why would you want to skimp on the one person that makes your pain go away?! And remember, you were the one concerned about pain after surgery in the previous bullet point!

The only pain medication that works for me is oxycontin!

Thank you for alerting us all to the fact that you may have an opioid problem. We’ll need to address this proactively to avoid postop issues and misunderstandings.

I read on Google that…

Don’t confuse your Google degree with our medical degree!

If you’re a patient and you’re offended, take a deep breath and leave a comment below of stupid sh*t doctors say!

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

The post Stupid sh*t patients say first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.

Dr. Derek Ford – Direct Links in Eblasts

As you can see in this video, Dr. Derek Ford, a plastic surgeon in Toronto, enjoys educating his patients through his monthly email newsletters. But he also wants to get them back to this website to answer their most burning question – how much does a procedure cost. Notice how, at the bottom of the eblast, he provides a link to check pricing on 1) breast augmentation with implants, 2) breast lift without implants and 3) breast augmentation with implants and a lift.

Rather than sending the consumer back to his website and forcing them to navigate to his BuildMyBod Price Estimator, and then scrolling through to find the procedure of interest, the direct links he provides take the consumer directly to one of those three procedures. And once there, the consumer can add that procedure to their “wishlist” and submit the wishlist along with their contact info. Then, instantly, they receive a breakdown of the costs, and Dr. Ford’s office receives the consumer’s contact info – a lead for follow up.

In the two days after Dr. Ford sent out this email newsletter, he received 5 unique leads through his Price Estimator. Four of them were from the email newsletter checking pricing on those highlighted breast procedures.

Dr. Steven Rottman – Obvious call-to-action (CTA) button

A Call-to-Action (CTA) button is the single most important button on the home page of any website. It captures the consumer’s interest and once they click on it, the hope is that the information on the other end of that “click” is tantalizing enough for the consumer to enter their contact info.

Nothing is more tantalizing that pricing information. While pricing isn’t the only pain point (credentials and experience are critical), it is the ultimate pain point and every consumer understands that. So with a Get A Quote CTA button, a doctor is more likely to capture contact info than with any other CTA button. “Download our ebook after entering your contact info.” “Sign up for our email newsletter.” Really? Not tantalizing enough.

Dr. Rottman and his web developers have determined the greatest placement of a CTA button. As you can see in the mobile version of his website, that red CTA button is a “sticky banner” across the bottom of the screen. And no matter where the consumer scrolls, that banner never goes away! So because Dr. Rottman’s CTA button is so visible, he has more consumers submitting wishlists than if it was in a more hidden position. And if more consumers submit wishlists, Dr. Rottman receives more leads…to the tune of 161 unique leads from the Price Estimator, all in the short month of February.

Dr. Rich Castellano – Links from Facebook Live

Dr. Castellano’s video says it all. While he’s treating a patient on Facebook Live, he receives three separate messages asking about the cost of that injectible. Rather than just telling the consumer the cost and never capturing their contact info, he directs them to the Price Estimator on his website. So if they’re really interested in cost, which everyone is, they’ll go to his website from Facebook Live and check pricing. And he’ll get their contact info for follow up.

Suzi Walton, Administrator of the Ohio Surgery Center – Insurance-based pricing

For those that think price transparency only applies to cosmetic procedures, get that thought out of your head! The administrator of the Ohio Surgery Center, Suzi Walton, realizes that even consumers getting medically necessary procedures are paying out of pocket because they haven’t met their deductible.

That’s why she allows consumers to first choose their insurance plan on the Price Estimator and then submit a wishlist for a procedure of interest. What the consumer gets in return is the allowable, or out of pocket maximum, the consumer will pay to the doctor, facility and anesthesiologist for that procedure, specific to that insurance plan. How’s that for actionable pricing information!

Dr. Carlos Mata – Link in Bio on Instagram and Clickable Direct Links via Instagram Direct Messaging

As Dr. Mata knows, consumers fawning over his results on his Instagram page want to know how much these procedures cost. To make it easy for them, he places a clickable link in his Instagram bio to get them one step closer to the answer. But his office staff doesn’t stop there.

As the graphic above shows, he also answers questions through Instagram Direct Messaging with direct links. Rather than the old school way of dealing with questions about cost – 1) “You have to come in for a consult first” or 2) giving “the milk away for free” (providing the cost without getting contact info first) – Dr. Mata’s team sends those questioners directly to the procedure of interest so they get the info they want in exchange for their contact info.

These are just a handful of our doctors’ best practices within the BuildMyBod network. As we grow and bring more great minds into the fold, there are sure to be even more best practices. Stay tuned!

To check pricing from Dr. Kaplan, click here. If you’re a doctor looking to sign up for the BuildMyBod platform, you can request an account here.

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

The post BuildMyBod doctors’ best practices – in their own words [video] first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.

The Gold Standard of what to look for in a doctor by Kelsey Kaplan Fashion

1. Board certified in the specialty they’re treating you for

Seems obvious but you want a doctor that’s actually board certified in the field of medicine they’re practicing. For example, if they’re performing a plastic surgery procedure on you, they should be board certified in plastic surgery.

2. Transparent with their pricing

It’s insane that you can’t find out how much a healthcare procedure or service costs ahead of time. In the future, we’ll look back on this lack of price transparency and wonder how it was ever like that. We need Price TransCAREncy! Doctors that are pro-price transparency are on the the right side of history. The future will prove it!

3. Has their own operating room

A Harvard study showed that doctors who consistently operate with the same team have fewer complications. That doesn’t mean you have to have your own operating room, just the same team. But if you have your own operating room, you’ll have the same team!

4. Posts on Instagram Stories and Snapchat

You should be able to get to know your doctor. They’re attitude, personality and surgical acumen. There’s no better way to learn this than through their very own “reality show” on Instagram Stories or Snapchat.

5. Has some non-5 star reviews

You can’t please everyone. So if someone has no non-5 star reviews, they’re paying for them. Ask anyone that specializes in online reputation. All 5-star reviews is a charade, a facade. You can’t legitimately have 100% 5-star reviews. Now, you shouldn’t have too many non-5 star reviews but where that line is drawn is up for discussion.

Video of Kelsey Kaplan Fashion on The Gold Standard when looking for a doctor

Be prepared, it’s pretty funny!

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

The post Kelsey’s rant (kelseykaplanfashion on IG): What to look for in your doctor [video] first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.

Whenever talking to a potential client about using the BuildMyBod Health platform on their website, I run them through an online demo via GoToMeeting. While doing a demo today, I had an interesting conversation with the CFO of a practice chain interested in the platform. He expressed concern with the commoditization of cosmetic surgery by using our platform. While I totally understand his/their concern, I disagree and here’s why!

The Commoditization of Cosmetic Surgery

My understanding of the CFO’s concern is this. He worries that if the consumer can check pricing on the doctor’s website, this will drive patients to find the cheapest doctor and therefore pressure the doctors to lower their prices. Thus leading to the commoditization of cosmetic surgery. While I agree that listing your pricing as a simple menu on your website is dumb AF, my rebuttal is two-fold when it comes to the benefits of using a Price Estimator that provides an automated estimate for the consumer in the process of generating a lead for the practice.

Rebuttal one:

Consumers are already calling doctor’s offices asking about pricing. So if the consumer is in fact looking for the cheapest price, they’ll find it eventually. This is occurring with or without the existence of the BuildMyBod platform.

The difference between the “old way” vs the BuildMyBod Price Estimator is that with the current/old way, the consumer calls the office and the office staff has to dedicate several minutes explaining what goes into pricing. Maybe they tell the patient they have to come in for a consultation to get pricing. Maybe they tell them it’s too complicated to explain pricing without seeing the patient first. In other words, the front office staff beats around the bush because their physician-bosses are traditionally weirded-out when it comes to discussing pricing over the phone.

So what ensues is the office staff either 1) refuses to give the information over the phone which aggravates the caller (terrible customer service) or 2) they tell them the price over the phone and then the caller hangs up…without the office staff ever knowing who the caller was or the ability to follow up with them.

Before moving on, I want to point out that it’s not unreasonable for the consumer to want to know cost. It’s the same for buying a car or a house. Why go to the open house or dealership unless you know whether it’s in your budget? Cosmetic surgery, or healthcare services in general are no different. And just because someone is asking about price doesn’t make them a price shopper. Patients appreciate that level of transparency and will reward you for it.

Rebuttal two:

An automated system like the BuildMyBod Health Price Estimator doesn’t in and of itself commoditize cosmetic surgery. That fault lies with the office’s decision to compete on price. If your goal is to focus on patients searching out the least expensive procedure, then that’s your decision. But just because you use a Price Estimator to allow consumers to automatically check pricing in exchange for their contact info doesn’t magically cause prices to drop.

So what’s the benefit of getting the consumer’s contact info in return for providing automated pricing information? You can follow up and explain what differentiates you from other practices and why you’re worth it. If they don’t care, then they wouldn’t care no matter how they received the pricing information. But better they find out ahead of time so they don’t come in and waste you and your office staff’s time on a consultation that ends in sticker shock!

To check pricing from Dr. Kaplan, click here.

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

The post The commoditization of cosmetic surgery first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.