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Liposuction has increased in popularity and with the increased demand and popularity there are new commercial enterprises which have sprung up with new ways deliver the surgical service. New in the last four years is the liposuction corporate chain (as opposed to privately owned companies, such as our St. Louis Liposuction Center). These are national companies funded by investors that creates local franchises to provide a surgical liposuction. The mission of the corporation is to give the investors a good return on their investment. In this model the corporation profits stem from efficiency and number of liposuction procedures they perform.
Traditionally, there was only one way to have arrange a surgery: You would schedule a consult with a surgeon. The surgeon would take a history and physical exam and depending on the findings make a decision about whether to schedule surgery. That is still the way 99% of surgeries are scheduled for liposuction and every other surgical treatment. However, now with the liposuction chain, the surgical consultation is performed by sales people who can send the information they collect to a surgeon, sometimes in another state, for review. The surgeon can wait to examine you while his patient is getting prepped for the surgery. Presumably when organized in this manner, if there was an abnormality that was found on the physical exam the surgeon could cancel the exam. The concern is that because the surgery has been booked and paid for, the patient has made arrangements to be off, and the surgeon has scheduled his time for the surgery, these real life circumstances might impact whether the surgery is done, postponed or cancelled.
Laser Lipo & Vein Center |
National Liposuction Chains* |
| We often offer a lower overall cost without any additional fees added on throughout the process. | National chain liposuction centers often draw in patients with low costs upfront, but there are generally many additional fees associated with the procedure. |
| Dr. Wright meets with each prospective patient individually before surgery to assess their suitability for liposuction and consult with them on the results they can personally expect. | Chain liposuction facilities to set up an initial consultation between the patient and a sales consultant rather than the surgeon. Those who wish to speak with the doctor during the first consultation are likely to be charged extra fees to do so. |
| Patients can expect the doctor to perform a thorough pre-operative examination to be certain that they are medically able to undergo the procedure safely. | Their surgeons do not conduct a separate examination where the patient is carefully examined prior to giving the “OK” for surgery to proceed. |
| Our surgeon is local and is available after hours for emergencies. | The liposuction chains use out of town doctors they fly in for the day to perform surgery. |
| We do not charge facility fees to our patients. | Many competitors charge upwards of a thousand dollars as a “facility fee” and anesthesia fee. |
| No high pressure sales tactics. | The corporate chains have “patient advisers” who have sales targets to meet. |
| Most importantly, our surgeon treats each patient with care and spends as much time in operation as necessary to achieve optimal liposuction results. | Chain liposuction facilities tend to treat their incoming patients in assembly-line style. Surgeries are often performed with a “one size fits all” mentality while doctors push to fit in several surgeries in one day. |
* You know the national liposuction chain names. These are highly marketed corporate enterprises that have lots of TV and internet advertising exposure. They have offices in many US cities, including St Louis and Miami to name a few.
My experience with Dr. Wright and his staff was exceptional. I have had two liposuction procedures performed by Dr. Wright and both were very successful. I would recommend Dr. Wright and his staff highly. The staff was professional and helpful with after care and follow-up appointments. If I had any other needs they would be on the top of my list.
– D.H.
