Provided by: Jennifer Kirschenbaum, Esq.
December 12, 2024
Question:
Hi Jennifer,
I listened to a podcast saying Medspas are the doorway to healthcare. Should I be incorporating into my practice?
Thanks,
Dr. H
Answer:
Hmmm...my opinion, this is fake news from a source likely trying to drum up business building MedSpas. MedSpas are a dime-a-dozen, nationwide, and have such a wide range of services and licensures working within them. I've been working as counsel to appearance enhancement companies, while at the same time serving the Dermatology and Plastics community here in New York, and I can't say over the past (almost) 2 decades that I can agree that medspas lead to more medical patients. The issue is the point of contact - with the aesthetician being the point of contact for the medspa appointment, you do not have skin check referrals being made, injectibles or plastics referrals, usually. You would need patients coming for a particular purpose to get the referral cemented. Now, do I see medical practices incorporating aesthetic services? Sure! But those services are Non Medical and lower price point, for the most part. Sure, many places are charging a hefty price for an array of laser services.
Forgetting myself down the rabbit hole, as I am not your spa consultant, but, your attorney - the issue with the medspa as the front facing business is that a doctor can't legally work for a medspa. The medspa can be a component of the medical practice, not vice versa. So, in New York (specifically), the medspa incorporating a medical doctor requires a construct where the medical doctor maintains their own medical practice out of the medspa - usually accomplished through a leasing or management construct. Plenty of places do exist with this construct set up - most common is where you see a doctor set up to offer injectibles out of a medspa - legally the services have to be out of the doctors own shop.
Are medspas a good addition to a medical practice, or vice versa? Sure, maybe, sometimes. Will the "medspa" transform healthcare or how medical practices get patients? I'm skeptical.... Is there a chance your practice may benefit from incorporating aesthetic services rendered by an esthetician? That is a business assessment, we can certainly help structure should you wish to pursue...
Hi Jennifer,
I listened to a podcast saying Medspas are the doorway to healthcare. Should I be incorporating into my practice?
Thanks,
Dr. H
Answer:
Hmmm...my opinion, this is fake news from a source likely trying to drum up business building MedSpas. MedSpas are a dime-a-dozen, nationwide, and have such a wide range of services and licensures working within them. I've been working as counsel to appearance enhancement companies, while at the same time serving the Dermatology and Plastics community here in New York, and I can't say over the past (almost) 2 decades that I can agree that medspas lead to more medical patients. The issue is the point of contact - with the aesthetician being the point of contact for the medspa appointment, you do not have skin check referrals being made, injectibles or plastics referrals, usually. You would need patients coming for a particular purpose to get the referral cemented. Now, do I see medical practices incorporating aesthetic services? Sure! But those services are Non Medical and lower price point, for the most part. Sure, many places are charging a hefty price for an array of laser services.
Forgetting myself down the rabbit hole, as I am not your spa consultant, but, your attorney - the issue with the medspa as the front facing business is that a doctor can't legally work for a medspa. The medspa can be a component of the medical practice, not vice versa. So, in New York (specifically), the medspa incorporating a medical doctor requires a construct where the medical doctor maintains their own medical practice out of the medspa - usually accomplished through a leasing or management construct. Plenty of places do exist with this construct set up - most common is where you see a doctor set up to offer injectibles out of a medspa - legally the services have to be out of the doctors own shop.
Are medspas a good addition to a medical practice, or vice versa? Sure, maybe, sometimes. Will the "medspa" transform healthcare or how medical practices get patients? I'm skeptical.... Is there a chance your practice may benefit from incorporating aesthetic services rendered by an esthetician? That is a business assessment, we can certainly help structure should you wish to pursue...
Have a question for Jennifer? Email is best. You can reach her at Jennifer@Kirschenbaumesq.com.
