MedEsthetics magazines offers business education and in-depth coverage of the latest noninvasive cosmetic procedures for physicians and practice managers working in the medical aesthetics industry.
Issue link: https://medesthetics.epubxp.com/i/156138
BROTHERS IN BUSINESS Beautologie features an extensive art collection and highend aesthetic design elements. started on a skincare regime. Patients who originally came in for breast augmentation are now seeing me for Botox." In fact, the practice boasts a 70% patient retention rate. "It's all in the relationship-building," says Darshan, who has implemented patient surveys and employs a full-time quality assurance director to ensure patient satisfaction. He also developed and markets his own patient-relationship management software program called "Follow That Patient," which tracks the patient experience before, during and after each procedure. "Followup is key," says Milan. "It's not about doing a quick Botox and then done. It's not about offering a Groupon to get 100 laser hair removal patients. It's not about making a quick buck. It's about giving each patient your very best: We call patients the next day; we send them Christmas cards. We don't let go." Growing Pains Though the brothers describe the company's success as a "blessing," they admit it has its challenges, especially with three locations and more to come. The fast growth represents a "huge investment" in office infrastructure. "I continually invest in the business—office space, computers, telephones," says Darshan. Managing the practice has become increasingly complex. "With so many staff members, we need different levels of organizational structure," says Darshan. "When it was just three or four employees, I could talk to each person myself. But as we hire more employees, it's very, very difficult to be a doctor and also to manage everything. So we need good managers to run each office." Through trial and error, he's found that his best managers are "home grown" employees who have been with the practice for some time, starting near the bottom and working their way up. 64 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013 | MedEsthetics "We've made a huge jump from being a mom-andpop shop, though we still want that patient connection you get with a mom-and-pop shop," adds Darshan. To ensure the staff works as a cohesive unit, Beautologie holds weekly staff seminars and regular role-playing workshops; provides ongoing training on products and equipment; and hosts biannual retreats for continuing education credits. "We have to make sure the offices are on the same page and everyone stays in constant communication," says Milan. The bottom line is that "we want to run not just a doctor's practice, but a successful business," he says. "And it helps that we really do have a great doctor-doctor and brother-brother relationship." "But we are so busy that we rarely see each other at the office," says Darshan. "We are more likely to see each other outside of the office—and then we don't talk about work. That's family time." Maryann Hammers is a freelance writer specializing in the medical, beauty and spa industries.