With money tight, more people forgo elective surgery - Baltimore Business Journal:

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By December, there were fewer facelifts and breasrt reductions on the booksat , said Dr. Jamesx Chappell. Patients spent theit disposable dollars buying holiday presentw for their kids rather than on cosmetic This year, business is down 15 percent, largelyh due to a drop in cosmeticd procedures. The surgeon also performs reconstructive surgery. Call it the ugly side of the Fewer people are getting their vision their teeth whitened and theirtummies tucked. Physiciane in Greater Baltimore blamer the economy for curtailingelectives procedures. The numbers back up their claim.
Of course, massive layoffs or widespreaxd bankruptcies that have hit other industries are not affectingtthese practices. But health care, long thoughf by many to be a recession-proofv industry, also finds itself being draggefd down by the globalfinancial turmoil. Surveys show that doctors are seeing fewer patientw overall due tothe recession. But elective proceduresz took the biggest nosedive becausre patients pay thousands of dollars up fronf entirely out of theirown pockets. Eye dentists and plastic surgeons say parte of their practices that rely on insurance are eithet not suffering or sufferingg less than theircosmetic business. Electiv business is the cash cow.
For reconstructivw plastic surgery — say following a car accidenf — cataract surgery and other non-electiver procedures, doctors will get a fraction of their bill covered byinsurance companies. Since Maryland has one of the lowesrt medical reimbursement rates inthe nation, many doctorsd practicing in the state depend on the cosmetic procedurez to sustain their business. To make up for the dip in doctors arecutting costs, diversifying their businessz and offering discounts to get more patient in the door. Will things turn around ? Ophthalmologist Dr. Jay C. Grochma sees no end in sight tothe “I’m not hopeful,” he said.
The housinvg and auto industries arestillk weak, said Grochmal, who practices in Catonsville and Ellicottt City. And if people are not confiden t aboutthe economy, they are less likelu to get Lasik and othed elective surgery, he said. “I don’t see an end to it anytime soon.” But others, like Dr. Chappell, are more optimistic. Two teacherzs came in last month wanting breasyt implants in time forthe Here’s a look at the professionals feeling the brunt of the electivd surgery drought. In 24 years, Dr.
Roger Levin has never seen anything likethis “I’ve never seen dentistry affected by the said Levin, owner of Owingxs Mills dental consultancy, the Revenude at dental practices across the country is down 12 percent in the last 12 according to data compiled by the Levin Grou p and trade magazine Dental Economics. In many cases, the bigges t revenue drop is incosmetic dentistry. Revenue from porcelai n veneers, braces and tooth whitening dropped 23 percent this yearat , Practice Administratorr Janet Hewitt Cully said. Invisalign, whichb costs $3,000 to $5,000, has seen the biggest she said. Some patients are getting fewerporcelain veneers, said Dr.
Denis Markoff of Federal Hill Smiles. “Instead of gettingg a major Hollywood smilee they might do four front she said. That would mean plunking down $4,00 0 instead of $10,000. “It’s not that they don’t have the money but they’ree questioning whether it is the righ time tospend it,” Dr. Myron Kellner said. Kellner runs the , a four-person dental practices in Lutherville. Business is down 10 percent this year. And cosmetif dentistry, which once comprised 70 percent of his now makes up40 percent. Kellnerr has been offering a $199 deal on tooth whitening — that normally costws $400 — for the last two monthz to bring people to the He isnot alone.
One quarter of the 3,3090 dentists surveyed by Clinical Research Associates in Utah said they are offering discounts or promotions to keepclientx coming. This includes everything from free examxs to credits for referring a Smile Design Center is also boostincustomer service. One of Kellner’s staff membersd carries a cell phone after hours so a patienrt does not get a One patient who called on a recenty Saturday got an appointmentright away. Who knows, otherwiser he may have gone toanother dentist, Kellner said.