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Dive into the multifaceted world of aesthetics with a podcast that encompasses it all. From cutting-edge plastic surgery procedures and dermatological treatments to the nuances of practice management, we've got you covered. Each episode offers a blend of insights into the latest treatments, tools, and technologies, along with invaluable tips for managing and growing a thriving practice. Discover industry trends, gain insights from key decision-makers and influencers, and uncover the secrets behind the most successful practices. With a mix of clinical expertise and actionable business strategies, this podcast is a must-listen for both seasoned professionals and newcomers eager to navigate the aesthetics industry. Whether you're honing your techniques or refining your practice's operations, tap into a wealth of knowledge that propels you to the forefront of aesthetic excellence.
Alison Werner (00:10)
Hello and welcome to the Plastic Surgery Practice Podcast. I'm your host, Alison Werner. Today we're back with part four in our podcast series on growth strategies for medical aesthetic practices. So far we've explored both the critical elements of thriving in a down market and opportunities for growth, such as understanding the business fundamentals, integrating weight loss services to build long-term patient relationships, and expanding into wellness offerings to meet the growing demand for holistic care.
Today, we're shifting gears to discuss a topic that's reshaping not just aesthetics, but healthcare as a whole, artificial intelligence. AI is rapidly making its mark in patient diagnostics, practice management, and personalized care, offering practices new ways to boost efficiency, precision, and profitability. But how do you integrate AI in a way that benefits both your patients and your business? And where do you even begin if AI feels like an overwhelming leap?
To help us navigate this, Terri Ross is back to break down the opportunities AI presents for plastic surgery and aesthetic practices, along with practical steps to get started.
Terri is the CEO of Terri Ross Consulting. With nearly two decades of experience, she specializes in helping medical aesthetic practices achieve sustainable growth through strategic business development, team training, and data-driven solutions, empowering providers to maximize efficiency, profitability, and patient outcomes.
Let’s explore how AI can become a game-changing tool in your practice.
Alison Werner (01:42)
So as I said in my intro, I wanted to talk to you about artificial intelligence in the plastic surgery space or even the aesthetic space as a whole, because it is a hot topic. Health care is trying to figure out how to integrate it and where it makes sense. And there's really a lot of areas. It's there's a diagnostic front, you know, that area. Then there's practice management. And then there's also like how do you integrate it with the patient? There's all these options now. So basically, let's get started with
How big of an impact is artificial intelligence or AI having on the industry at this point?
Terri (02:16)
It is so crazy. It's just, and even for us, right? Even for me, getting our arms around it, it's a lot, but when you can learn it and adopt it, it's so impactful in terms of reducing time. So I would say if you look at 2023 report in the allied market, AI healthcare as a whole, it's projected from about 15 .4 billion in 2022 to almost 103 billion
Alison Werner (02:18)
Yeah, I know.
Hmm.
Terri (02:45)
billion by 2030. So if we think about aesthetic medicine, that is a hot topic of emerging markets. And to your point, looking at it from the patient's perspective, the practice management perspective, and then enhancing the patient journey. So there's so many things. And if you think about some of the companies, a report by Modface, which is a L 'Oreal company, found that patients who used AI -based skin analysis tools. And there's some great things on the market.
Alison Werner (02:46)
Hmm.
Mm
Terri (03:13)
they were 32 % more likely to proceed with recommended treatments due to the technology. And there's so many phenomenal, again, pieces of AI technology out there to look at the face, analyze the face, whether it's the scan, whether you need lasers or you need fillers, it's amazing.
Alison Werner (03:21)
Hmm.
Yeah.
Well, and I think one of the things that in my discussions with people about AI is it's this idea of creating a custom offering for you. AI is looking at you and giving you what you need. So talk to me about how the market is looking at AI.
Terri (03:51)
It's interesting because there are some people just like any doctors and providers that are early adopters and are the ones that are like a little bit reserved and perhaps still could be on paper charts, right? But when we're thinking about it, it really can, when it's being embraced, help providers and patients get accustomed to look at specific data.
And that data can help create more accurate treatment plans that are tailored specifically to that patient. I think that's one of the biggest areas of opportunity is that we're not just making a diagnosis or selling something when people don't like to sell based on because we want to versus using this technology to say, God, this is just the right thing to do. And it's being adopted more because you have something to back it up with.
Alison Werner (04:36)
Yeah.
Yeah. So let's talk about the three areas that we can kind of categorize AI's integration. Let's start with patient care and kind of that diagnostic treatment planning. Where is AI coming in there?
Terri (04:49)
Thanks.
Yeah, so as it relates to the patients, I think AI can be very impactful.
whether it's a consultation in person or virtual, really, again, recognizing doing some of those skin analysis visualizations on the face and or the body, which are helping with these treatment plans and assessments. And then we're able to monitor progress specific apps and usage, which is fantastic.
Alison Werner (05:28)
What about in terms of kind of the practice management side then? Where is AI integrating then or can be integrated then?
Terri (05:37)
Yes. Look, we all know that running a practice is hard, right? It's hard. There's 60 over over 60 practice management software is on the market today. And I get that's probably a question I get asked every day. Which software should I use? And frankly, I have to say, you know, they're all great. I mean, they all have pluses and minuses. But I think AI can really help automate some administrative tasks, scheduling, follow ups, patient appointments, retention.
And some of the daunting things that candidly, I don't think a lot of practices or teams are doing, but I think it can help with the overall patient experience and retention, which is gonna alleviate time in the practice that can be more focused on patient care.
Alison Werner (06:24)
And then what about in terms of, more on the doctor's end, what are you seeing in terms of the diagnostic diagnostics?
Terri (06:35)
I think kind of back to what we had talked about, there's very few ways. mean, yes, there's a bunch of body scans and phenomenal photography software that practices can use, but I think we can look at it now at a more...
at a level I think that can be embraced because there are so many apps that patients can now take home and measure and monitor back to, again, skin types and body composition and helping to use these tools to build that customized treatment.
Alison Werner (07:06)
Okay. Is there any, you know, I think when I talk to people, they sometimes worry that AI is going to replace them in some way. Is AI going to replace providers? I'm sure that's a fear out there.
Terri (07:16)
my God. It's so funny, Da Vinci, I'm sure surgeons, one of my first, I didn't take the job, but there's the Da Vinci robot, right? that right? And so, listen, I certainly don't, I don't know about what's gonna happen 10, 20 years from now, but I think AI really should be looked at, that it is a tool to help augment human skills and human behavior, not to replace.
Alison Werner (07:23)
Mm
Yeah. Yeah, I've heard of that.
Terri (07:43)
And it is really designed to give us more time back and improve with precision, but not replace patient.
Alison Werner (07:51)
Yeah. Well, and I think that's the thing to look at it is you look at it as a tool that can simplify some tasks that otherwise might be a little burdensome. So do you think what's the role of AI in like a smaller practice that might be like, you know, I don't need to take this on. It's too complex. You know, I'm fine just chugging along.
Terri (08:01)
Yeah.
There, think that regardless of a practice size, because there are so many people getting into the space, is really irrelevant. I think that the tools are becoming affordable, they're becoming more accessible, they're becoming SaaS models. And I think when applied and selecting the right thing can be extremely advantageous in helping with efficiencies.
especially in a smaller practice. think 64 % of practices that have implemented AI reported reducing operational costs within their first year. And that is huge because there's not enough manpower to add to payroll. So why not adopt some of these tools that can help us with greater efficiencies.
Alison Werner (08:57)
Yeah. Do you think, well, in terms of a business from, let's go from the practice management side. Are there any tools that, you know, you've seen practices using or not even a specific tool, but just something that these tools can do, whether it be helping them with their marketing or helping them, you know, with communications that you have found beneficial.
Terri (09:23)
I would say...
The main tools are a lot of the AI analysis tools, and that's more on the patient side, on the administrative side. Yeah, I would say it's more kind of what we talked about, whether there are open API integrations with their current practice management software, but we have to, there are so many tools to use, whether it's a practice management, a CRM, right? There's marketing, there's, we have to be able to bring these tools together all in one to assess what's working, but as it relates to where people get stuck,
Alison Werner (09:29)
Okay, that's fine.
Terri (09:53)
If 45 % of people are never followed up with retentions low, we can use these AI tools for reach and frequency and touch points to connect with the patient that they candidly are more apt to adopt to, which is on your phone or an app of some sort.
Alison Werner (10:11)
And I think the fact is that, you know, lot of the practice management software is there. Patient communication software have kind of already integrated a lot of this AI. So it's just accepting that it's there, but also realizing there are other tools out there that you can make a choice to integrate. And there's stuff that's out there in the general market. It's not necessarily doesn't all have to be specific to a health care setting. There are AI business apps that you can integrate into a place.
for the practice management side or even some of the patient communication. Okay. Do you think AI will make patient care less personal? Because I know I've heard that as a question.
Terri (10:41)
Absolutely. Yes, absolutely.
I think so. I think it goes back to the philosophy. We're in this cash -based retail business. I think maybe it's on the contrary. mean, maybe it's going to make it more personal because we have these amazing tools now. Right now, I think people are so into texting. There's little human. There's less of the human interaction. So think if we look at these tools, like I said,
to help us at a deeper level to enhance something, that's the benefit of it versus taking less care away.
Alison Werner (11:32)
What's your kind of overall take or what's your recommendation to practices that are like, okay, I need to start embracing AI on some level or I at least want to dip my toe. Where would you say to start? Would it be the patient interaction side? Would it be the diagnostic side? Would it be the practice management side? Where do you think it's easiest to just dip your toes in so you feel comfortable?
Terri (11:55)
I think that, again, instead of practices guessing or wanting out of a desire, what is needed? I encourage every practice when I work with them, we have to be clear. Take a minute. Take a minute to do a SWOT analysis. Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. What's working well? What's not? The two top are internal things we can control. The weaknesses and the threats we can't.
But we have to identify what those things are first. So if you are suffering with administrative things and patients aren't coming back and there's no shows and retention is low and conversions are bad, then focus AI there to help improve that. If your revenue is down and patients are being transactional or symptomatic and only getting one thing and not coming back, maybe there are added beneficial AI tools.
that will enhance the patient experience. So identify first what you need and then start there and then master it before you move on. Otherwise it will become overwhelming and nobody will do anything or use it in the right way.
Alison Werner (13:01)
Right. Well, and I was going to my next question was going to be how does this tie into kind of our larger series, which is about, you know, growth opportunities for your practice in a down market. So you kind of just set it there. Find the areas where you're struggling, where you're down and find a tool that maybe can help you get out of that hole.
Terri (13:15)
Yeah.
Yes, yes. And then do one or two things well. It can be overwhelming. I'm so blessed that we have so many clients working with us. it really is, let's just be smart and be open minded to that if we're not learning, we're not growing. And shame on us if that's the case. Let's just be vulnerable and be honest about.
what you do well and as a surgeon or a provider and an owner of a practice, you're still an entrepreneur and a business person, which means we have to still invest the same level of time and money and care in your team, in your business. It's your baby. It's your legacy. The same way you practice your craft to improve the surgical techniques, we have to give our business the same thing. And if you're not doing that, then you should. And when you do, it's just so rewarding.
what can happen.
Alison Werner (14:13)
Well, I love that you said that because I think that's the overall message we're going for with this whole series. It's you are an entrepreneur. You do surgery great. You've got that. You were trained for that. You weren't necessarily trained to be an entrepreneur or a business owner. So figure out what you can do and take the time to learn where you don't know how to do something. It doesn't have to be a mountain you can't climb. can. There are tools and there are tools to get you there and people to help you along the way. Yeah.
Terri (14:27)
Yeah.
100%. 100%. I love this segment. Thank you, Alice.
Alison Werner (14:43)
Yeah. Yeah. Well, thank you so much, Terri. I really appreciate it. All right. Thanks.
Terri (14:48)
Okay, thank you honey. Talk to you soon.
Alison Werner (14:53)
Thank you for checking out this epiosde of the Plastic Surgery Practice podcast. Be sure to check out PlasticSurgeryPractice.com to keep up with the latest industry news. Until next time, take care.