Board Forum: Back to Basics in Practice

How do you maintain your service menu? Do you set aside time to review it?

Steven Pearlman, MD: I try to see what treatments we offer and which new technologies might offer either a significantly better treatment or fill a niche that we don’t currently cover but still fits within my practice profile. I don’t go to meetings looking to purchase a device based on a preconceived budget. If I think it will help, I seek out KOLs and speak to them personally to get the real lowdown and not just what the company is hawking.

Thuy-Van Tina Ho, MD: As I build out a new practice, I am looking to have specific times for change/maintenance as I prefer structure and timeline.

Cheryl Burgess, MD: I keep rotating back to my basics, such as chemexfoliation, microneedling, microdermabrasion, cryotherapy.

It is not necessary to buy every laser that comes to market. Currently, I have a graveyard of lasers that I use occasionally with the exception of my 1064nm and 650microsecond Nd:YAG lasers and IPL technology.

Flora Levin, MD: It depends on how busy I am with other things and if it is something I can delegate; I think about the ROI of my time and what’s “worth it.” Effectiveness is important. Look for noticeable results, which avoids patients complaining about not seeing results.

What aspects of your approach to patient relationships or business management might be considered “old fashioned.” Why do you believe it is still worthwhile?

Dr. Levin: Individual care. I call my big cases the night of their surgery; my office calls smaller ones and also the injectable patients the next day. It gives a general boutique feel to the practice.

Dr. Burgess: Good bedside manner and paying attention to the patient while they are in front of you. I have a scribe to dictate my medical notes so that I can give my patient my time instead of looking at a computer.

Dr. Ho: Writing thank you notes to patients. I also write notes during consultations. These are ways to show I am paying attention and expressing appreciation.

Dr. Pearlman: I still like doing my consults in person. I will conduct a virtual consult for an out-of-town patient, but nothing beats face-to-face and the ability to interact on a personal basis as well as the ability to touch someone’s face and feel their facial structures.

What is the best advice you ever received from an “old” mentor that holds true today?

Dr. Burgess: Listen! Listen to the patient; they are telling you what is wrong with them! It makes your decisions easier.

Joe Niamtu, III, DMD: Don’t ever perform a procedure on a patient that you wouldn’t perform on your own family.

Always try to assist those individuals that our society frequently leaves behind.

Work hard, play hard.

If you don’t love what you do, find something you love.

Dr. Pearlman: I am blessed with good health, a great family, and a great practice. When my mentor, Dr. Bill Friedman, was asked how he was by a colleague, he always said, “Excellent.” It is a downer when someone replies, “Getting by” or “OK.”

Respect your colleagues and especially the people around you. Dr. Friedman would always defend his fellows, residents, and colleagues when attacked or disparaged. Privately, you might have something to say to them, but don’t dress them down or embarrass them in public.

Dr. Ho: Do right by the patient, treat them as if they were your mother or other close family member.

Dr. Levin: Treat people the way you want to be treated. Always listen.