Despite the threats of economic downturn, the cosmetic surgery industry has continued expanding over the past several years. While some expected the pandemic to slow industry growth, combining more disposable income and video platform time increased interest in cosmetic surgery. Coupled with the strong rise in patients under 45—a generation based on sharing on social media and with fewer taboos about talking openly about their procedures and experiences—we are seeing a wave of new patients coming into practices. Even more are coming, with the industry expected to post a CAGR of almost 10% annually through 2030.
However, today’s cosmetic surgery patient is markedly different than in years past. They are better informed, more directive, more involved, and perhaps most importantly, have higher expectations of their medical service providers. These patients want their providers to be more involved and personal than in previous years. Studies have shown that cosmetic surgery patients look for more direct contact with doctors than most patients, especially immediately before and for several weeks after procedures. These interactions help patients understand and accept surgery results and ensure realistic expectations.
Cosmetic surgery practices face unique challenges that make the business side of their operations particularly demanding. Patients expect mastery of new techniques as soon as they are developed, and there is strong competition within the industry and from adjacent ones. Additionally, the patient base requires significant attention and is more likely to leverage social media to impact reputations if expectations are met.
Communications in Cosmetic Surgery Practices: Five Considerations
Medical offices have increasingly started employing technological solutions to improve care efficiency, eliminate communication gaps, promote real-time care coordination, and, most importantly, leave time for more frequent and direct patient contact. These tools help automate administrative duties, freeing staff to communicate with patients more effectively. Here are the five most important aspects to consider when integrating technology into cosmetic surgery practices to enhance operations and patient care:
1. Enhancing Operational Efficiency
Streamlining operations starts with improving the workflow of staff throughout the day. Advanced communication platforms offer a range of features specifically designed to improve staff satisfaction and efficiency. With tools like ring groups, parking lots, shared mailboxes, conferencing, and auto attendants, staff can better coordinate work and manage crucial patient communications in a busy office environment. These highly customizable features allow practices to tailor them to their needs and preferences. Additionally, call analytics provide valuable insights into performance, enabling practices to monitor and optimize staff productivity. For instance, a busy cosmetic surgery clinic can use call analytics to identify peak call times and adjust staffing levels, ensuring patient inquiries are handled promptly.
2. Improving Patient Care and Communication
Enhancing patient care involves providing tools and features that improve communication between providers and patients. Powerful texting and On-Call features facilitate high-quality patient communication, including reminders and closer interaction, regardless of location or time. This ensures that patients receive the support they need, fostering a sense of trust and satisfaction. Additionally, optimized call routing based on hours of operation and team responsibilities further improves the efficiency of patient care. Imagine a patient receiving timely text reminders for their post-op appointments and follow-up care instructions, leading to better adherence to care plans and improved recovery outcomes.
3. Secure and Compliant Communications
Lack of HIPAA compliance can be costly for any healthcare provider, from fines and fees to a damaged reputation, which is crucial for cosmetic surgery offices. Unfortunately, most modern telephone companies cannot meet HIPAA rules, regulations, and patient privacy standards. However, compliant communication solutions make it easy for practices to adhere to HIPAA for all communication needs, including phone calls, text messages, faxes, and messages sent through desktop and mobile applications. This is achieved by following strict protocols such as physical security of PHI, encryption, training, product security, password protection, auditing, and business associate agreements (BAAs). Multiple layers of security within the system prevent unauthorized access and external threats.
4. Scalability for All Sizes
You want your surgery to adapt to growth and need communications technology that will grow with you. Scalable communication platforms are essential in meeting the evolving needs of practices of all sizes. Whether a practice has two, three, or ten facilities, platforms can be deployed as a fully hosted cloud PBX or a private cloud installation utilizing the chosen hosting method. This flexibility ensures the communication framework can seamlessly adapt to the practice’s changing demands without sacrificing functionality. Consider a growing cosmetic surgery practice that expands from one to multiple locations; a scalable communication platform can seamlessly integrate new sites without disrupting existing operations.
5. Cost-Effective Solutions
Cosmetic surgery offices often need to maximize efficiencies elsewhere in their business, which usually means operations. However, focusing on margin sometimes means that practices can only sometimes spend on technology designed to optimize their workflow and improve patient satisfaction. By owning their platform, advanced communication solutions can keep costs low and pass those savings on to practices. Traditional solutions rely on manual systems and processes that are costly and prone to error. Practices can expect to save 50 percent or more compared to traditional landlines and 30 percent or more compared to competing services from cable and other VoIP providers.
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