Employing Technology for More Personalized Care to Aesthetic Patients

Personal Interactions

While Internet-based tools are well-accepted by most patients who use them to self-manage cosmetic care, they do not usually want to do it at the cost of sacrificing their time with the cosmetic surgeon.

• An Accenture survey of 1,100 patients in the US revealed that while 90 percent of patients prefer to use online tools for self-managing their healthcare, about the same percentage of people also say that they would like to preserve their personal interaction with their doctor when needed.
• The survey results indicate that patients want technology to widen their choices, and not limit them.
• Patients appreciate the convenience, efficiency, and lower costs achieved with a better use of technology, but they do not want it at the cost of compromising personal interactions with the doctor.
• Experts suggest that technology must be employed to augment the services that a plastic surgeon can provide, rather than becoming a substitute for personal care.
• A visit to the doctor's office can be supplemented with various online activities that a patient can perform. A lot also depends on the doctor, who should have the necessary technological support to ensure the doctorpatient engagement is enhanced.

Empowering Patients

Cosmetic surgeons can not only achieve a competitive advantage by using online technologies but can also deliver greater value and empowerment to the patients at a lower cost.

• To give more empowerment to the patients, it helps to provide them online self-management tools, but more importantly, the patients must be educated about the availability and usage of such tools.
• The cosmetic surgeon can guide patients to perform specific online tasks to enhance their empowerment, and make their visits to the office more effective.
• The cosmetic surgeon can advise a patient about how to access his or her medical records online, and to actually review them prior to the next scheduled appointment.
• The patients can take a look at their laboratory test results online in advance, and make a more informed discussion with the doctor during a visit.
• Mobile technology and its integration with the Internet have led to a host of new possibilities to transform overall patient-care experience.
• Personal health care and Monitoring Devices in combination with online technologies are able to improve the engagement levels between a doctor and a patient.

Online Marketing and Personal Touch

A cosmetic surgery practice that has implemented effective online technological systems can enjoy improved patient-doctor communication, and everyday protocols of the practice become more streamlined.

• A professional website is the most basic standard of technology today for a cosmetic surgeon. A website can not only serve as a powerful gateway to attract new patients to the practice, but it can also reinforce the high-tech image of the practice for the existing patients.
• During a discussion with a patient, the cosmetic surgeon can refer to the website where necessary, so that the patient can have a ready reference available.
• It helps educate patients about the cosmetic surgeon and the specific procedures and treatments that concern a patient.
• New patients who are evaluating more than one cosmetic surgery practice are more likely to have a favorable impact about a practice with a powerful and educational website.
• With a creative use of latest SEO techniques, the aesthetic website can receive a flow of targeted local patients.
• A new patient will form an impression about the quality, branding, precision, experience, service, and reputation by reviewing the website.
• Digital images and videos of various procedures and before and after pictures can serve as a highly effective promotional tool for a cosmetic surgery practice.