In today’s competitive healthcare landscape, staying ahead by expanding to include wellness and elective offerings is growing increasingly popular. Adding aesthetics to a medical practice platform keeps the practice relevant to patients, and competitive in the marketplace and may even attract new patients who seek convenience and comprehensive care.
Five Key Concepts to Consider:
- Scope of Practice. Owners will want to ensure that the medical practice has the appropriately licensed and trained Clinicians to perform the aesthetic services the practice will offer. In Florida, this consists of ensuring that each midlevel provider (APRN, PA) has a supervising physician and that the documentation in place between each of those clinicians adequately complies with Florida’s scope of practice requirements as indicated by the various professional boards;
- Physician Collaboration. Each Clinician must be appropriately supervised by a licensed and qualified physician, and the supervisory relationship must be properly documented in accordance with Florida’s laws and regulations. Depending upon the nature of the practice, and the comprehensive menu of services being offered, there might be additional qualifications of the collaborating physician, such as requisite board certification(s);
- Biomedical Waste Program. Medical practices need to be appropriately registered as a Biomedical Waste Provider with the Florida Department of Health. This entails submitting an application to the state, and scheduling an inspection where the state will ensure you have contracted with one of its approved biomedical waste transporter servicers, and that you have development a completed operating plan;
- Patient Intake Documents. Service specific informed consents covering each aesthetic service offering must be incorporated before any patient is ever touched. Each informed consent should disclose detailed information regarding the healthcare treatment or procedure, including its potential risks and benefits and alternative treatment options. These documents should be written in clear, understandable language that the patient can comprehend, should be signed voluntarily by the patient and should be documented into each patient’s medical record prior to treatment; and
- Insurance. Check in on the medical malpractice insurance coverage to ensure it is up to date, and that it covers the scope of the aesthetic services aesthetic services you will offer, whether as an “endorsement” or “rider”. An endorsement is a modification or addition to an existing insurance policy that changes the terms or scope of coverage, for example to include additional procedures, specialties, or types of claims that are not typically covered under the base policy. Similarly, a rider is a provision added to an insurance policy to provide additional coverage for specific risks or situations. In the context of medical malpractice insurance, a rider might be used to extend coverage for certain procedures, locations, or activities that are not covered by the standard policy. Both endorsements and riders allow policyholders to customize their insurance coverage to better suit their needs and mitigate risks specific to their practice or circumstances.
Embracing aesthetic treatments can not only enhance a medical practice by incorporating medical and aesthetic treatments under one roof, but it can also attract a broader clientele and open new revenue streams for the business. It may be time to embrace change!
