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Saturday, 9 July 2011

Mind the Gap!

A recent article in a health,wealth & lifestyle magazine sent out to medicos (available online) has highlighted the "very large gap" between actual cosmetic surgery in a hospital and treatments in a beauty salon. The article proposes that the gap is being filled by "specialist" clinics staffed by an overseeing doctor, nurse injectors and laser technicians. The article suggests that this is the business model for the 'gap" created by an expanding market. It seems that this type of business model will also be available in franchise form.
http://issuu.com/medicallife/docs/physicianlife_final/search

The alternative to this model can be appreciated by noting the numerous private clinician owned and operated clinics that have successfully functioned and have indeed been very popular for over a decade now.
These established clinics generally have one fundamental and very important principle and that is the reassurance that the person actually administering the treatment is the trusted medico (or a practitioner very closely supervised by the medico). Discerning patients may care to ponder whether a franchise business model can morph from concepts such as a fashion house or Gloria Jean's or McDonald's into cosmetic medical clinics. Perhaps! http://www.franchisebusiness.com.au/t/Health-Beauty-Franchises/Medical-Treatments
But it should be borne in mind we are not talking about selling garments, coffees or hamburgers here.
Mind the gap!



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2 comments:

  1. Dr Naomi9 July 2011 at 21:04

    Love this post, Dr Feiner. When making decisions about my business (a cosmetic clinic), I always try to look at the perspective from a patient's point of view.
    As a patient (with the luxury of knowing the facts from the providers side), I would definitely want to "mind the gap".
    Ours is a very difficult business to commoditize at this stage. Commoditization occurs as a goods or services market loses differentiation across its supply base. Huge differentiation of the intellectual capital required to produce our service still exists.
    Will it always be that way? At this stage, even advised treatments vary so much, let alone results. So much is determined by what the patient and the doctor decide to treat and how. Then there's the procedural aspect. At this stage cosmetic medicine/surgery is a combination of science and art/design. The future may reveal a different story.
    Can art or design be commoditized? That is a question for people who are cleverer than I :)

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  2. Dr. RF10 July 2011 at 04:15

    Thanks for the excellent comment Dr. Naomi. "Can art or design be commoditized?"
    Yes (reproductions cheap or good) but not the artist or designer.
    The challenge will indeed be to remain an artisan in our work. I can't imagine how that can ever become a frachisable commodity.

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