Excerpt: A medical spa is a hybrid between a medical clinic and a day spa that operates under the supervision of medical doctor… Medical spa menus vary, but you can usually get also get medical spa treatments like laser treatments , laser hair removal, IPL (intense pulsed light) treatments, microdermabrasion, photofacials, injectables like Botox and fillers, aggressive chemical peels and skin tightening.
Medical spas tend to have a more clinical atmosphere than day spas. But many also offer relaxing services like massage and body treatments. Some medical spas have a wellness focus and include services like acupuncture, nutritional counseling and naturopathic doctor consultations. Who owns and operates the medical spa? Is it owned by a doctor? Is he actually on the premises supervising operations and doing treatments? Regulations vary from state to state. A medical doctor generally has to oversee the procedures performed in a medical spa, but this does not mean he is always (or ever!) on the premises.
Sometimes doctors lend their names to medical spas but have relatively little involvement. Who will be performing the procedure? What is the licensing and training of the people who are actually doing the services? How long have they been doing the procedure? This is especially important with laser hair removal. Many states don't require any license whatsoever, and you can be badly burned -- literally -- if someone doesn't know what they're doing. Ask for before or after photos of their work…
Source: http://spas.about.com/od/medispas/a/medicalspa.htm
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Excerpt: The buzz on medical spas has died down a bit, likely due to the numerous consumer articles citing safety concerns and medical supervision issues. And although there are some who say the medical spa boom is still growing, a segment of the industry that is definitely expanding is state regulatory boards’ governance. In early 2005, the National Coalition of Estheticians, Manufacturers/Distributors & Associations (NCEA) released this definition of a medical spa: “A medical spa is a facility that, during all hours of business, shall operate under the on-site supervision of licensed health care professionals operating within their scope of practice with staff members who operate within their scope of practice as defined by their individual licensing board if licensure is required. The facility may offer traditional, complementary and alternative health practices and treatments in a spa-like setting.”
The International Medical Spa Association later adopted this definition as well, and several state regulatory boards have looked to it to develop statements for their own medical spa governance… …The fact still remains that the underlying concern of skin care professionals working in a medical spa should be their competency to practice and their dedication to client protection. Potential negative treatment outcomes such as prolonged erythema, pigmentation problems, infection and scarring can occur in any setting. In unsupervised medical spas, these post-procedure complications can lead to serious legal problems. David J. Goldberg, MD, JD, in a recent interview states, “Redness and hyperpigmentation issues usually resolve themselves over time, and so they never usually turn into successful lawsuits against the physician or physician extender.” He goes on to say that, from a legal standpoint, the most potentially permanent problems are related to infection, scarring and pigmentation loss.
In the event of an accident or adverse reaction, a client may bring legal action against the practitioner and medical spa. The plaintiff, who is the client or the person suing, can claim the facility failed to meet the expectations of care, was negligent, and that it was this negligence that led to the accident, causing injury. If the practitioner and the medical spa are found by the courts to have been negligent, they will be held liable for any damages that have been determined.
The best advice is to continually check your state regulatory board’s Web site in order to stay abreast of the legislative issues you and your practice may be facing. A new rule or regulation is generally not announced to licensees—it is up to you to keep yourself and your spa staff informed. To stay consistently accurate, find out how often your regulatory board meets, and then make it a habit to check its Web site for the minutes and announcements that could potentially affect your medical spa’s operation and ultimate survival on a regular basis.
As you contemplate your treatment menu and choose the colors for your office’s décor, don’t forget the business plan aspect of your facility. This definitely should encompass crossing your t’s and dotting your i’s from a legal and liability standpoint as well. Ignorance of the law is no defense.
Source: http://www.skininc.com/spabusiness/medicalspa/10748376.html
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Excerpt: Medical spas, or medi spas, are popping up across the nation. They offer a range of services from standard spa fare such as facials and waxing to Botox injections and laser skin resurfacing - procedures once more commonly performed in a doctor’s office. Because there are no national standards or regulations governing medical spas, the training and experience of the people performing the procedures can vary. Each state has different regulations governing rules that say who must supervise and who can perform certain medical procedures, which in spas can include chemical skin peels, injectable treatments (eg, Botox, collagen, and sclerotherapy), laser hair removal, and skin resurfacing.
Different practitioners – physicians, nurses, aestheticians, and cosmetologists – are permitted to perform different procedures in different states. A medical spa must have a medical director who is a licensed physician, but in some states that means only that staff can consult the directing physician if something goes wrong – not that the physician is on location or even in the same state as the spa. Without proper training, cosmetic medical procedures can result in blisters, serious burns, and scars. Sometimes, botched procedures are fatal: In 2005 a college student died a few days after she applied an anesthetic gel to her legs in preparation for laser hair removal, the American Medical Association reports.
Without regulation, consumer complaints about botched procedures are rising, says the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery. State medical boards across the nation are considering more effective regulation, but in the meantime, it’s important to be aware of safety and make informed choices.
Source: http://www.uabhealth.org/17778/
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Excerpt: Aesthetic Practice Startup Workshop Program Summary Presented by the IAPAM[International Association for Physicians in Aesthetic Medicine], the Aesthetic Practice Startup Workshop will prepare you for all the steps needed to add aesthetic medicine to your practice. By utilizing our facilitator’s experience, you will avoid some of the common pitfalls of the aesthetic industry. After completing this one day session, you will also leave with a business plan for your aesthetic medicine practice.
This program will cover all aspects of creating a business plan for an aesthetic medicine practice or medical spa. Here are some of the highlights:
1. Financing Options.
2. Target Demographics for your Procedures.
3. Developing a menu of Treatments and Pricing Strategy.
4. Establishing Aesthetic Practice Protocols for your staff(examples included on CD).
5. Creating an effective Marketing Plan, including incorporating low-cost internet marketing strategies (search engine optimized web sites and press releases).
6. Finding the Right Location.
7. Staffing (job descriptions included on CD).
8. Federal and State legal and regulatory issues.
9. How to Read Financials.
This program is designed for physicians, business managers, and key staff involved with an aesthetic medicine practice or MedSpa… Program Details When: September 28, 2009, October 26, 2009, December 7, 2009 Where: Gainey Suites Hotel, Scottsdale, AZ Price: $ 595 members and their staff. $ 995 non-members.
Source: http://www.iapam.com/bootcamp.html
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Excerpt: “As competition increases in the medical spa industry, it is important you continually grow your business and keep the customers you already have” says Jeff Russell, President of MedSpa Financing. Marketing is one of those often neglected items. Many times MedSpa owners view this as an expense rather than a revenue generating tool. You need to regularly review your current marketing efforts, and evaluate new options.
Evaluate your Existing Marketing ProgramThe first thing you need to do is evaluate your current marketing program. Evaluate what is working and what is not. Figure out the actual cost versus the benefit of each type of marketing you are doing. Did the postcards work better than the radio ads? Did the free media attention from the grand opening get you lots of new customers? Leverage your Current InformationWhen you take your customers information, you should be taking not only their mailing address, but their e-mail address as well.
You may want to start a monthly e-newsletter about your MedSpa. Highlight an employee or a new procedure. Remind everyone that summer is coming, and that they need to get in for those hair removal treatments quickly. An occasional “Daily Specials” e-mail will allow you to respond to a lull in bookings by sending out a treatment special for the time slots you have available that same day… Cross-market to Complimentary BusinessesThe next time you are driving to your MedSpa take a look of who is around you.
I am sure you will find many businesses that share the same demographic customer as you, and are also looking for new customers. Visit the health food store, jeweler, or the organic store and create a marketing program with them, offer discounts at each others stores. Remember, no one has too many customers, they will be happy you stopped by.
Source: http://www.medispanews.com/articles/MarketingTips.html
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Excerpt: In the ever-expanding world of plastic and cosmetic surgery, the medical spa, a marriage of science and beauty, is becoming a major trend. It has become a sort of one-stop beauty and loveliness shop for skin treatments plus surgical rejuvenations that feature, at a minimum, laser treatments, facial peels, microdermabrasion, collagen injections and Botox ®. Experts at the International Spa Association, the Day Spa Association, the International Spa Association and the International Medical Spa Association reckon anywhere from 500 to 1200 such medical spas now exist in the United States, with more being planned.
Adds Mauro C. Romita, M.D., Ajune's founder and director: "My approach to the medical spa was to treat all aspects of beauty because surgery is not the only answer to every person's case. Lymphatic drainage massage, for instance, helps patients heal better from deeply invasive procedures like a full facelift or a tummy tuck because the massage also helps remove the fluid that builds in reaction to surgery. As swelling minimizes, circulation improves, bringing more nutrient-rich blood to the site. The bottom line is, a massage therapist makes a plastic surgeon's job easier."
"I often jot down for clinicians in the spa what type of aesthetic work should be done before I operate," says Dr. Romita. "The whole idea of a medical spa is doing non-invasive -- but effective -- treatments."… A handful of medical spas are organized under several trade associations like the Day Spa Association and the International Medical Spa Association. Some facilities combine a spa with wellness, diagnostics and anti-aging services while others specialize in cosmetic dentistry, along with the typical day or destination spa amities. The Blue Water Spa, a Raleigh, North Carolina, facility that bills itself as a plastic surgery medical spa, offers the full range of plastic and cosmetic surgery operations.
While many patients turn away from medical settings, others embrace them. So one of the most recent developments is the medical spa set in a hospital. "Our cosmetic and plastic surgery patients appreciate the security of having their procedures done in a hospital, rather than a clinic or the surgeon's office," says Barry L. Eppley, M.D., D.M.D. a professor of plastic surgery at the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis. His medical spa, OLOGY (Greek for "study") was so named because so many things in medicine end with the suffix "ology."
Dr. Eppley's facility offers Ayurvedic (Sanskrit for "life" and "knowledge") spa treatments with aesthetic skin and facial treatments like one known as "Shirodara," (warm oil dripped onto the forehead and then massaged into the scalp) and another called "Vichy shower hydrotherapy" (getting a warm shower while reclined on a table,) along with the more commonly known and used laser treatments, fillers and other cosmetic surgery procedures. "Spa treatments have been medically shown to have health benefits, including lower blood pressure, reduced stress, decreased healing times, less pain and decreased need for medication," says Dr. Eppley. If you're interested in any type medical spa, check on the following items, suggests Pradeep Sinha, M.D., Ph.D. at the Atlanta Institute for Aesthetic Facial Surgery: "Is the facility affiliated with a licensed physician or medical director?
Not all medical directors, even if they are M.D.s, are plastic surgeons," says Dr. Sinha. "Be sure to ask." "And, be wary of places that do not include an evaluation or a first meeting with the surgeon as part of the process," says Dr. Sinha. "Be sure and inquire about the equipment in the facility and make sure it's top of the line."…
Source: http://www.plasticsurgery.com/artecoll/the-medical-spa-a-marriage-of-science-and-beauty-a153.aspx
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