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/367774
she says. "And in some of my offi ces, we've found that picking up the phone and making a personal call is the best way to get people to make appointments." For example, her National City location primarily serves Asian and Filipino patients. "Many of them are older and just starting to use computers," Dr. Mauricio says. "They don't have email; they're not on Facebook. So we put newspaper ads in the local ethnic media. The patients walk into our offi ce, holding the newspapers. We also attend and make appearances at local events and concerts with celebrities from their native countries." At her Scripps Ranch location, on the other hand, she relies on email blasts and social media. "That population is more technology-savvy," she says. A Family Affair With fi ve locations, 19 employees and a TV show, how does Dr. Mauricio keep all the balls in the air? "I have a great support system," she says. "I work with my family—I'm the oldest of four siblings, and we all work together: Both my youngest sister, Angela, and my brother, Richard, are RNs, and Richard also has an MBA. He gave up his job as an administrator for Public Health Nursing in San Diego County to join the practice and help me with the business side of things. My other sister, Cheryl, does our accounting and handles HR. So all my siblings work together. I'm married to my medical school classmate, James Lee, MD, an anesthesiologist, who also works in the business. "If it weren't for my family, I wouldn't have been able to open fi ve offi ces. There's no way I would be able to keep track of things like inventory or fi nances by myself. Every doctor who hopes to expand needs good people," she says. But there's a slight downside to so much family to- getherness. "Every family gathering turns into a confer- ence or business meeting," she says. The real bottom line, however, remains her patients' happiness. "For doctors in the aesthetic industry, grow- ing a practice is a totally different ballgame. You and your staff have to have a different mindset," she says. "Your patients are the ones who will grow your revenue and allow you to expand, so I think of my patients fi rst and deliver on my promises to them. "My patients are smiling, grateful and happy to pay. They look good outside, so they feel good inside. My patients joke with me, 'Now I can stop seeing my psy- chologist. I am happy now.'" Maryann Hammers is a freelance writer, specializing in the medical, beauty and spa industries. 64 SEPTEMBER 2014 | Med Esthetics SUCCESS THROUGH SPECIALIZATION "If it weren't for my family, I wouldn't have been able to open fi ve offi ces." D r . M a u r i c i o c o n s i d e r s b o t h o u t c o m e s a n d R O I w h e n s e l e c t i n g n e w t e c h n o l o g i e s f o r h e r p r a c t i c e s . Dr. Mauricio considers both outcomes and ROI when selecting new technologies for her practices.