Unlocking Growth Opportunities for Your Practice—Insights from Terri Ross

Alison Werner (00:10)
Hello and welcome to the Plastic Surgery Practice Podcast. I’m your host, Alison Werner. We’re going to be doing a special multi-part series with medical aesthetics industry consultant, Terry Ross, to discuss the opportunities, challenges, and growth pathways in the medical aesthetics industry. Over the next several episodes, we’ll explore practical insights and actionable strategies that can help practices thrive in today’s dynamic and competitive market. In this first episode, we set the stage by examining the current state of the industry and discussing some of the key obstacles

practices face from market shifts to business training gaps.

Terri is a globally recognized practice management expert and 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.

In this episode, we’re going to talk about how practices can identify their growth opportunities, the importance of business fundamentals, and why training for both doctors and their teams is crucial for unlocking potential. Whether you’re a provider, practice manager, or team member, this series is designed to give you the tools and knowledge to move your practice forward. So let’s jump right in and see what insights Terry has to share.

Alison Werner (01:27)
Terri, thank you for joining me today. It’s really great to see you again.

Terri Ross (01:28)
Yeah. You are so welcome. Lovely to be here, Allison. Thank you so much for having me.

Alison Werner (01:34)
Well, as I said in my introduction, we’re going to set the scene and talk about the state of the medical aesthetics industry. So what are you seeing with your clients?

Terri Ross (01:44)
Yeah, such a great question. And obviously, with an election year, I think the industry is struggling. I think the industry as a whole, not I think, I know, the industry as a whole is down around 17%. But there is a lot of tremendous growth opportunities. I think that the biggest challenge practices face right now is there is a lot of private equity coming in and roll up in consolidation. I think there’s also a lot of struggle with practices understanding

Alison Werner (02:01)
Mm

Terri Ross (02:14)
where their growth opportunities are. And that’s simply because of a lack of training or a lack of understanding the knowledge of what the benchmarks need or should be.

Alison Werner (02:24)
Okay, so you mentioned there that, you know, those are some of the things contributing to this decline. What about, what are doctors doing that is preventing them from turning around and finding a way forward with growth?

Terri Ross (02:44)
It’s such a loaded question. Yeah, I mean, I think it’s very easy for, you know, physicians, medical providers as a whole in the aesthetic space to just, you know, show up for work, do surgery, treat patients. And a lot of what I teach all over the world and at every society is that this this still is a business, right? There’s a business of plastic surgery, and we have to treat it as such and give it the same level of

credence that we do our clinical experience and giving patients this journey and results. That’s only one piece of it. If we want a sustainable, profitable practice, we don’t have a choice but to say, maybe perhaps the same way someone’s been doing it isn’t good enough anymore. And I will have to say that from all my experience in almost 20 years in the space and lecturing all over the world and

what I do for a living is really help practices identify those areas of opportunity. And a lot of it comes down to, again, not understanding gross profit of procedures, not understanding efficiencies of time, not understanding the right compensation models, not understanding how to build a treatment plan that can combine both surgical and non -surgical, which ultimately

That is the quickest way to get better patient outcomes and increase revenue. But all of that comes down to a fundamental problem and one problem only, and it’s a training issue.

Alison Werner (04:21)
Okay, so talk to me some more about the training. What do you think is missing?

Terri Ross (04:31)
The industry, the industry lacks fundamental business training. And, and I think, you know, Dr. Renato Sulz is a key opinion leader, plastic surgeon in Park City, past president of many societies. Myself, Dr. Sulz and Isaac Musely, my co -CEO, my ex co -CEO and business partner with Apex, started our own business conference called the 4S Summit.

And we started it in 2023 to fill the gap. While people can go to all these ASAPs and ASAPs and everywhere, there is a practice management track, but it’s 15, 20 minutes of talks and not enough for someone to actually go back with a blueprint of what to do and how to educate. So that’s the problem. We’re in these roles and no one’s held to KPIs.

No one’s holding anybody accountable. No one’s inspecting what they expect. And then the ones that are, you know, how do we coach to change? Because at the end of the day, is just, it’s change behavior. Change management is what we have to do if we want something different.

Alison Werner (05:38)
Okay, so this might be a lot, but what are some tips for just getting started with that? Like you mentioned, you have the summit, which is a great educational opportunity. But for a practice that’s just sitting down, maybe what’s the best way to assess? What do I need to do to change the culture within my practice?

Terri Ross (06:00)
Yeah, I love it. Thank you. Such a great question. I mean, look, this is maybe a little self -serving, but I think that if, I, you know, there are experts in businesses, right? For a reason, we would hire a coach, an athlete, a tutor. We hire experts in other areas of our life. And I very much pride myself on.

that when we work with practices and they retain us is that every practice needs to go through like a practice assessment, some sort of business valuation, not evaluation financially, like evaluation. Like what is the health of your business? That is the diagnostic tool, right? It’s the history and physical. We have to start there in order to understand what’s wrong, what’s right, where are the areas of opportunity? More importantly, how do I course correct it to make money? That’s where people have to start.

Alison Werner (06:34)
Mm

Mm -hmm.

Terri Ross (06:54)
whether they retain me, work with an expert or try to do it on their own, you know, is another thing. If they work with us, that’s where we start. And then we are on that journey with them to execute change. If, you know, they wanted to just look at two metrics that I would advise people to look at right now. And you have to look at where is your gross profit of procedures and whether that’s in surgery or non -surgical. And most plastic surgery practices have both.

Alison Werner (07:01)
Mm

Mm

Terri Ross (07:22)
and know what that baseline is because if you don’t know what that is, you know, then we’re paying time and labor and probably losing money. So I can affect that change by again, looking at efficiency of time and or increasing the cost and or perhaps not doing it at all because maybe it’s not making money and it’s bringing revenue down. And then looking at revenue per hour and surgeons have a baseline revenue per hour. Non -surgical rooms have a baseline revenue per hour. And that’s looking at the revenue generated by divided by the hours.

Alison Werner (07:33)
Okay.

Mm -hmm. Right.

Terri Ross (07:52)
a provider worked, that’s the baseline. Those two metrics in of itself, if no one did anything, can be changed immediately to have an exponential change to the bottom line.

Alison Werner (07:59)
Mm

Okay. So and I know part of what we’re to be talking about in this series is pathways to growth. So opportunities. So if you take those metrics and you realize I’m struggling, how do I grow? Can you talk a little bit about kind of what you think about what what’s on your radar in terms of growth? We’re going to get into specifics with each episode, but just kind of talk about what pathways give an overview of the pathways you see at this point.

Terri Ross (08:35)
You know, it’s quite simple, honestly, if somebody were actually to just take a moment to digest their business and what has to happen.

Practices, I mean, look, if we really are honest about the industry, it’s becoming a commodity, right? I mean, there’s, I’m in Los Angeles and one of the most competitive markets in the country. And it’s competitive and it’s a commodity. What’s not is not anymore how, you know, are they board certified and how many years of experience and how many case studies? Yes, that’s true. And yes, that is a value proposition.

But if some doctor is up against other people in a three mile radius where there’s hundreds of people doing something similar, how is a consumer going to choose? And we have to be clear on that value proposition. And then that comes down to, again, I’m going to beat a dead horse. It comes down to training. If practices are spending money to acquire a patient, right? So one, what is your marketing spend? I’ll give the number. It really should be around 8 to 10 % of total revenue.

And if it’s, so then you’re, so then look at your CAC. What does it costing you to get a patient? Then if they call the practice, this is, this, this is directly related to your question, the areas of opportunity, those patients better be converted. Those conversion metrics need to be at 70%. Most people don’t track them. Most people don’t even know. If you know that, then you’re like, okay, now I can back into, am I getting the right patient in the door or is my team just not trained to convert them?

Alison Werner (10:04)
Okay.

Mm

Terri Ross (10:12)
Now they can fix the problem. So that’s one area of opportunity. Are we getting the right person and then are they being converted? Second is looking at those two KPIs I just said. What services am I doing? Surgeries am I doing? What is my narrative to the world? Do they yield the highest return on investment? Two, because that’s what we’re going to be marketing for. Three is when patients come in for the consultation,

Alison Werner (10:16)
Okay.

Okay.

Mm

Terri Ross (10:39)
you know, is the philosophy of your business transactional or transformational? So if I just acquired a patient and, you know, Allison comes in for a consultation, am I going to talk to Allison about her facelift or Tommy Tucker boob job only, or am I going to give Allison a comprehensive treatment plan that encompasses a, you know, a whole host of modalities that will get you the best outcome and then in turn,

Alison Werner (10:55)
Mm

Terri Ross (11:09)
increase your revenue and help with lifetime value and retention. And if we can master those three simple things, they sound simple, but it’s a lot of work to master those things and then hold people accountable to the metrics. But if we can, I mean, this is where magic happens. This is really where exponential growth happens and where practices will outperform someone else.

Alison Werner (11:20)
Mm

Well, and I, yeah.

Well, and I like that you said that, you know, it’s the doctor, it’s also training the staff and it’s recognizing that it’s the team has to be on the same page to make a change.

Terri Ross (11:38)
100%.

Yes, unfortunately not a lot of

I don’t say a lot. mean, obviously, think there have been, you know, people are recognizing now that they they don’t have a choice. And if they don’t know how to do it, they should work with experts to help them learn how to do it. Because it is the team. The team can make or break the business. It’s not just good enough anymore that I’m a great surgeon in the O .R. But what is the rest of my team doing?

Alison Werner (12:09)
Mm -hmm. Yeah. And I know some of the pathways we’re going to discuss in the future episodes are very specific to services that can be offered and how to maximize the value of those services, the value per patient. But overall, this is about creating that larger connection between doctor and team to make something of these programs. So if you’re going to offer a service, make the most of it.

Terri Ross (12:17)
Yeah.

100%. I mean, absolutely. And understand, you know, when we analyze financials for our practice, you know, sometimes just the total revenue is all clumped into one area. And so where’s the breakdown of the revenue? What percent of the time are you doing ex -surgery, ex -non -surgical? Like, where is it really coming from? And is that the driving force? And then how many people come in for just one thing versus multiple things?

And if we just are able to recognize that data can be scary for a lot of people, but it’s very sexy when you understand what to look at, because it’s the power of intention of how to make the right changes. Otherwise, we’re uninformed. We think we’re busy all day. Busy doesn’t mean being profitable. And then we’re looking at our books and we see money in the bank. Well, that may not be your not profit. Like, let’s really take a look at this and how to end.

Let’s bring it back to the culture. It’s going to improve culture and reduce turnover.

Alison Werner (13:37)
-huh.

Absolutely. Yeah, no, exactly. Exactly. So there is a people element to this as well. But I like what you said there of, you know, don’t be afraid of the data because I know I, you know, I talked to so many doctors in this specialty and others and the business training isn’t there. You go there to be you go to school, become an expert in your clinical field. And maybe now some of the medical schools are catching up and offering a business.

Terri Ross (13:44)
as a whole other series, right?

100%.

Alison Werner (14:09)
you know, course or two, because they recognize that you’re also probably going to be a small business owner if you’re not working in a hospital. And so you also have to accept that that you are a business owner and that is a completely different skill set. And it comes with some data and it’s not scary.

Terri Ross (14:17)
right.

Yeah. Yes, it is. And let’s talk about this because it is a retail medicine. It comes with saying, you know, I have to be a salesperson. You know, people don’t like that word and I have an entire training program, but they have to really embrace that you’re not selling anything, but you are educating these clients on what’s possible for them to achieve an outcome that they want.

Alison Werner (14:37)
Yeah. Yeah.

Terri Ross (14:53)
And that does require a skill set that’s very hard for many providers to do.

Alison Werner (14:58)
Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And then, and that makes it important to have staff members as well who can also excel at their sales skills, which might not be what you’re looking for when you’re hiring. So, yeah, yeah. Well, Terry, I’m looking forward to talking with you over the next couple of episodes as we explore some of these growth paths. So I ask our audience to please check back for the next episode. And I hope you enjoy it. Thanks, Terry.

Terri Ross (15:07)
Right. 100. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely.

Thanks so much, Alison. Thanks, everyone. Talk soon.

Alison Werner (15:29)
Thank you for checking out this episode 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.

Alison Werner (00:11)
Hello and welcome to the Plastic Surgery Practice Podcast. I’m your host, Alison Werner. We’re back with part two of our multi-part series with medical aesthetics industry consultant, Terry Ross. We’re exploring key growth pathways and business strategies for medical aesthetic practices. In our first episode, we took a deep dive into the state of the industry, the importance of business fundamentals and the role of training in driving sustainable success. Today, we’re continuing that conversation by exploring one of the most talked about trends in medical aesthetics, the ozempic weight loss craze.

This category is booming, but the key to maximizing its potential lies in integrating it as a vertical into your practice that fosters long-term patient relationships, not just quick transactions. Terri is a globally recognized practice management expert and 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. Here, she breaks down how practices can offer weight loss services the right way with strategic planning, team alignment, and a holistic approach to patient care. Let’s dive in.

Alison Werner (01:23)
Okay, so Terry, the Ozempic weight loss craze is here to stay. And so now it’s the question of how can you make it a vertical you offer that creates a continuing relationship with your patients and isn’t just a one and done. and this category does offer growth potential. So, but you have to do it right to maximize the profit per patient. So what are you seeing first with this category of services?

Terri (01:40)
Hmm.

Yeah, it’s a hot topic, right? It’s a hot topic. It’s growing rapidly. Certainly, I think there’s controversy about it amongst, you know, surgeons and providers as a whole. Like, should I, shouldn’t I, long -term effects. I think, you know, obviously I’m not a clinical provider, but what I see from a business side is that there’s a lot of benefits to it. But if we’re just thinking about

Alison Werner (01:51)
Mm -hmm.

Terri (02:19)
just wait in America as a whole. You roughly two thirds of Americans are overweight or obese. And we have to really recognize that, you know, it’s a, it’s a problem. And the amount of money that is being spent in advertising and marketing this year alone is $882 million. Just in

Alison Werner (02:22)
Mm

Mm

Yeah.

Wow.

Terri (02:48)
marketing for weight loss drugs. That is massive. And there are, I think, you know, over 50 products in clinical trials. So what does that tell us? That we either can embrace it. And when we’re thinking about our practice, and if surgeons don’t have a med spa, they should. And if they if they’re looking for other verticals, this should be one because

Alison Werner (02:49)
Okay. Yeah.

Hmm.

Mm

Okay.

Terri (03:14)
you know, what is that going to do? Obviously bring a new subset of patients in your door that weren’t otherwise there that if converted or be given a treatment plan, that is massive opportunities for growth and lifetime value of one person.

Alison Werner (03:19)
Mm

Mm -hmm.

Yeah.

Okay, so what does that treatment plan look like to keep that relationship ongoing?

Terri (03:38)
Well, think about it, right? You have different groups of patients, right? You have your young patients, right? You have middle -aged, you have older older population, and everybody has unique sort of things going on, right? They have laxity, skin tone, fine lines, wrinkles, weight loss. mean, when they’re on these medications for the right reason, now they’re also going to be experiencing all these other things.

Alison Werner (03:51)
Mm

Mm

Mm

Terri (04:07)
which means they’re going to need some kind of tightening. They’re going to need some kind of fillers. They’re going to need some kind of retail and facials. They’re going to need perhaps surgery. And so think about that. Just if we’re thinking about all of the treatments any practice can offer, know, whatever they’re, I would say there’s riches in the niches. We don’t need to be everything to everybody, but if we are building a treatment plan that can combine these therapies together.

Alison Werner (04:25)
Mm

Right.

Terri (04:36)
and educate the consumer on what’s possible along the journey. This isn’t just like losing weight and, you know, we’re all done here now. No, it’s not. It’s how do you make a person look and feel their best, which is going to require multiple, you know, multiple things. And I think that is a very big difference between, again, running a, you know, high volume practice and being transactional.

Alison Werner (04:45)
Yeah.

Mm -hmm.

Terri (05:06)
versus being intentional and transformational to the patient. And that’s a choice the practice has to make.

Alison Werner (05:10)
Okay. Okay. And then in terms of integrating this type of vertical weight loss related services, in terms of integrating that vertical, what’s your advice to the doctor? And then how should they approach talking to their staff? What is it from that implementation side that they should be doing?

Terri (05:33)
Look, it’s not as easy as I think people think. There are many doctors, and some are my clients, that are making millions of dollars a month and who have developed a program. I mean, you have to look, there’s issues with compounding pharmacies, whatever manufacturer you’re gonna get it from. There’s the educational side on the provider side. Then there’s a whole host of labs and genetic testing and genomes. There’s so many things happening that…

It really is to say, let’s sit down and identify, you know, do we have the right staff in place? Does everybody have a desire to do it or learn how? Is it going to be a program, not a product? It’s not, I’m just selling a product. Is it, it is a weight loss program. Okay. At our 4S summit, let me just say this, if anyone’s listening and very interested in this,

Alison Werner (06:19)
Mm -hmm. Mm.

Yeah.

Terri (06:30)
Dr. Johnny Franco is a plastic surgeon in Park City and he’s literally running in December an entire weight loss program that is tied to our 4S Summit. And he’s been very successful and he’s in Austin. And so I think it’s really saying, is this something that we want to do? Do we have the patience to do it or do we need to grow and get new patients? But the program needs to be tight and well thought out, not, hey, let’s just get some product and start doing it.

Alison Werner (06:36)
okay.

Mm.

Terri (06:59)
Because when you start to look at the data and the success rate, it’s usually not very successful.

Alison Werner (07:04)
Okay. What metrics would you advise practices that are implementing a new program like this? Because as you said, it’s not just offering a service one thing and you might look at, okay, what’s the bottom line of me offering? What was my profit? What was my expense? This is a program as you’re describing it. What should they be looking at or tracking to know that this is effective? This is a good use of our time and resources.

Terri (07:30)
Yeah, mean, again, I’ll always kind of go down to profitability of offering it. What are the margins? What is the, how much time is it taking you to do this, to see one patient? And then more importantly, that revenue per hour, if they’re coming in for this, but the philosophy of your practice is such that they have to get a consultation, right? A true consultation, not just for the product, right? They have to get this holistic.

Alison Werner (07:58)
Mmm.

Terri (07:59)
consultation. And if that’s the philosophy, then that in of itself, you’re going to know if it’s successful, because I might start off on Ozempic or whatever I’m getting, I might start off on that. But in two or three months when I’m losing weight, now I’m scheduled for fillers and Botox and lasers. It’s a plan. That’s how you know it’s working. Or are the people just coming in just to get their monthly refill? That’s to me not successful.

Alison Werner (08:01)
Okay.

Mm -hmm. Mm -hmm.

Okay. Can I ask with the practices that you’ve seen doing this, are they, they’re not marketing it saying we offer Ozempic They’re saying something along the lines of we offer a weight loss program or weight loss service. How are they marketing it?

Terri (08:47)
That is an entirely different, my God, beast. mean, look, if you think about, no, and that’s what, you know, I did a webinar recently again with Dr. Franco, but, you know, we have to look at, we really have to look at this whole TikTokification and social media. I mean, we do, we have to just be smart. You know, how many people are seeing your message? If we think about marketing, it has to be consistency, conviction, and then what’s the level of content?

Alison Werner (08:50)
Ha ha ha!

Yeah

Terri (09:16)
that we’re putting out on a regular basis that is affecting some. And we have to look at keywords, crazy stuff’s happening, ozempic face. mean, we have to really start to investigate what is resonating. And then all of these AI tools, and it’s just becoming madness, but it’s not something that we can ignore.

Alison Werner (09:24)
Yeah.

Mm -hmm.

Yeah, yeah, but it also doesn’t have to be overwhelming that shouldn’t put you off of it.

Terri (09:43)
No, no. mean, look, I think every post is an opportunity to educate the clients on, again, what you do, what your practice is about, your value proposition versus, again, I just need some weight loss meds and I’m going to go down the street to this like, Joe Schmo place versus write some legitimate place to get this big plan.

Alison Werner (09:54)
Mm -hmm. Mm -hmm.

Well, and this is really an opportunity to really differentiate yourself from those. Hey, I offer Ozempic. You know, you can talk about how I’m offering, you know, I’m going help you on this whole journey because like I know just in my area, I’m also in LA and I see signs for Ozempic everywhere. Yeah, exactly. And it’s always like come in for Ozempic, but it’s never I don’t think I have personally seen where it’s part of some larger

Terri (10:14)
100%. Yeah.

Yes, yes, exactly.

Yeah, right. Right. We are right. are in the Mecca

Alison Werner (10:37)
program or some larger practice and focusing on like, what does this mean for me? Because then you always hear about like, ozempic face. Well, then you got to go see the plastic surgeon instead of, okay, if I work with a plastic surgeon in advance before I get there, maybe I can avoid some of these things. If I’m

Terri (10:37)
program.

Yes, yeah.

Yeah.

But think about what you just said and along the dialect of this conversation. And thank you so much for having me to talk about this and be on this series with you Business is down. Everyone’s wondering what we’re going to do in 2025. look, recognizing that you and I are in such a hot commodity state. And yet we’re both saying there’s many people just marketing Ozempic or

Alison Werner (11:03)
-hmm. Mm -hmm. Mm -hmm.

Mm -hmm.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Terri (11:21)
know, mounjaro whatever the hell it is. And that’s just not good enough. So I think it’s an opportunity for every practice to say, a minute, what is my message? What’s my value prop? What is my narrative? What kind of people do I want coming in my door? Because now that comes right down to cost per acquisition. I might come in your door, but I’m only going to get one thing. That’s a very symptomatic approach.

Alison Werner (11:34)
Mm

Terri (11:47)
again, versus looking at somebody or wanting them to be a long -term patient.

Alison Werner (11:51)
Mm hmm. Yeah. Well, I think it’s also recognizing that, you know, if patients are going out there to go to Ozempic like I said, there potentially is a relationship with a plastic surgeon or an aesthetic practice built in because your body is going to change and you’re going to want to deal with aesthetics as you go on that journey. So just get in there to begin with basically. Right. Exactly. Just get it from the it from the get go. Maybe you save a little money on surgery.

Terri (12:05)
Yeah. Yeah?

embrace it now, right? Right? Get on the bus now. Yeah, everybody will be happier. Business will succeed. Patience will be happier. Everybody wins and makes more money. It’s just, it’s a beautiful thing when we look at it from that perspective versus I’m scared to do it or that’s not what they came in for or I don’t want to be pushy. We have to embrace that. Again, this is an opportunity to educate.

Alison Werner (12:28)
Yeah. Yeah.

Well, and it’s keeping in mind that this is one of many verticals you can offer, but it’s about making sure it’s not just a one and done service. It is part of a program that incorporates your other service and offerings. Well, Terry, thank you so much for having this conversation with me and we will be I know and we will probably hit it again because I have a feeling this one is going to be here to stay for a while and is only going to.

Terri (12:47)
Yeah.

Yes, 100%.

Thank you, love this topic.

Yep.

I agree.

Alison Werner (13:04)
grow in so many ways. but we will be back in our next episode to talk about another growth pathway for your practice. So stay tuned. Thank you. Okay, bye.

Terri (13:11)
phenomenal. Thanks, Allison. Stay tuned. Appreciate it.

Alison Werner (13:17)
Thank you for checking out this episode 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.

Alison Werner (00:12)
Hello and welcome to the Plastic Surgery Practice podcast. I’m your host, Alison Werner. We’re back with part three of our series on growth pathways and business strategies for medical aesthetic practices. In our first episode, we explored the current state of the industry and the importance of business fundamentals and training. In the second episode, we tackled the ozempic weight loss trend and discussed how to integrate it into your practice as a long-term patient relationship opportunity rather than a one-off service.

In this episode, we’re diving into another powerful avenue for growth, wellness. As patients increasingly seek holistic approaches to their health and appearance, the concept of wellness is reshaping the landscape of aesthetic medicine. But what does wellness really mean for plastic surgery practices traditionally focused on surgical solutions? And how can practices incorporate these services in a way that enhances patient loyalty, retention, and profitability?

Once again, I’m joined by Terry Ross, a leading practice management expert to help us understand how wellness offerings can complement your surgical practice, meet patient demand, and drive sustainable growth.

Now, 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. With that, let’s jump in and explore this new growth pathway.

Alison Werner (01:38)
So Terry, I know in talking to you, all the rage right now in the aesthetics industry is this idea of wellness. But my question is, what does that mean, especially for a plastic surgery practice that is typically focused on surgical approaches for their patients? Because the fact is, patients are looking for alternatives to surgery now. So how do practices meet them where they are? So I guess maybe to start, let’s talk about what does wellness even mean in this industry today?

Terri (02:07)
I know that’s such a great question, Alison. Thank you so much. You know, I think if we look at the evolution of plastic surgery and aesthetic medicine as a whole, you know, functional, integrative medicine and wellness, it’s just becoming such a relevant topic in the field and it’s gaining so much more traction because patients and surgeons, you know, frankly, have to recognize that the clients want a overall, like, holistic approach.

to wellbeing, which in turn again is going to generate better patient outcomes. And if you think about the industry, everyone is striving for retention. And it’s hard to manage. It’s hard to track with traditional software. But if you look at like other big industries, consulting industries like McKinsey, what we’re showing is that the wellness industry is growing.

exponentially. mean, my God, I think I have some stats here that, you know, it’s about a $4 .4 trillion and it’s growing 10 to 15 % annually. Patients are more likely to return 60 % more likely to return when we’re engaging in these other types of services. Those are pretty astounding numbers that we have to pay attention to if we want patients to be loyal to us.

Alison Werner (03:19)
Wow.

Okay. Yeah.

Okay, so what type of services are under this umbrella?

Terri (03:39)
You know, I think when we think about the types of treatments, I mean, we talked a little bit last time about weight loss. We’re looking at stem cell therapy. We’re looking at, you know, IV therapy. We’re looking at hormone therapy. I mean, there’s so many things that can fall under this category. And it’s really a matter of

Alison Werner (03:59)
Okay.

Terri (04:01)
we know where practices want to go and what they want to offer.

Alison Werner (04:05)
Okay, so when you’ve worked with practices, what have you seen that has worked for a plastic surgeon? Because what you listed there, that’s a whole host of services. And it sounds like maybe that might involve bringing in other practitioners to offer some of that. So what’s a good approach to doing this?

Terri (04:24)
Yeah, I think that one, you have to really define and I could pick this apart. Obviously there’s things for lymphatic drainage and oxygen therapy and cry. There’s so many things I. And it’s easy to get confused. It’s easy to get caught up in the hype at conferences when people are selling these things. I think it’s very important to really go back to the basics.

Alison Werner (04:30)
Mm -hmm. Mm.

Terri (04:51)
And what I mean by that is what type of a practice do you currently have and do you want?

and put real meaning behind that. Because we are changing mindsets. It’s not just about doing good medicine and doing good surgery. It’s not that that is paramount, but it still is a business that we have to run, sustainability and profitability. We have to, and efficiently. And in order to do that, again, it requires a lot of money to gain new patients. So what does our current patient base look like? How many people return?

Alison Werner (05:04)
Mm

Yeah.

Right.

Terri (05:30)
What are they coming in for? What’s the average spend? And then the philosophy of the company. So when you make it a philosophy, then these other services don’t become optional, if that makes sense. So obviously I’m very passionate and I’m on faculty. I’m so honored to be on faculty at all of these surgical societies and in the non -surgical space too. And what we really need to pay attention to is

Alison Werner (05:37)
Mm

Yeah.

Yeah.

Terri (05:58)
How can I build this comprehensive holistic treatment plan to get the patient the best outcome that will require many of these modalities that augment the outcome? So that’s the priority. They’re going to augment the outcome because you believe it’s the right thing to do. And when you believe it’s the right thing to do, this isn’t salesy, and patients are now exposed to other added value treatments that are impactful.

Alison Werner (06:07)
Mm -hmm. Yeah.

Mm

Terri (06:28)
can now bring them coming back in when they already had the facelift or the tummy tuck or the breast dog, but now I’m coming back in for these other things that are beneficial on a holistic level.

Alison Werner (06:32)
Right? Yeah.

Okay, so talk to me about some of the things or some of the services that you’re seeing that are really creating that relationship with the patient that you think are good options. Because if somebody’s looking, if a doctor is looking or a practice center is looking to start this and they don’t know where to start, what are some things that you think are good place to start?

Terri (07:06)
Again, that is such a loaded question because it’s really going to be dependent on the respective practice. If you’re a body guy, then a girl or woman, you’re going to want to focus, in my opinion, I always say there’s riches in the niches. So if you’re a body surgeon, you’re going to want to focus on things like Shape Scale is a new product on the market backed by significant investors.

Alison Werner (07:08)
Mm.

Mm.

Mm -hmm.

Terri (07:34)
And it’s taking over sort of the in -body device where it can measure body mass, water, weight, circumference, in addition to look at inflammation internally. I mean, it’s incredible. And why would something like this be valuable? If I’m a body surgeon and I’m looking, right, and we’re doing all these surgical treatments, what else can keep people coming in the door? And so something like that is beneficial. Lymphatic.

lymphatic, not even just lymphatic manual massage, but there’s a lot of modalities out there that offer a lymphatic. These are all combination therapy. Again, certainly IV therapy. Now I don’t promote IV therapy. It’s not necessarily a moneymaker, but it can be a valuable add -on. Oxygen therapy. But again, it’s really dependent on the practice. Now if you’re facial plastic, you might offer something else.

Alison Werner (08:10)
Yeah.

Mm

Yeah. Right. Well, I appreciate that you said that because if they can just approach it as, okay, if I am someone who focuses on facial aesthetics, then this is the group of services I’m going to offer. If I’m looking at more looking at the body, then you know what? I’m maybe not going to look at the facial stuff right now. I’m going to start in on this journey looking at what are the body services I can offer that can complement the surgical procedures I’m doing. So at least that gives them an idea of where to start.

Terri (08:39)
Yes. Yes.

Yes. Yes.

100 % I think again back to it again it’s easy to get swept up in these new and new shiny fancy toys that doesn’t mean they’re going to be beneficial for your practice it doesn’t mean your clients want them it doesn’t mean your team can sell them and then they end up sitting there so let’s be smart we have to be strategic and we have to be smart and there’s easy ways to do that right do a survey monkey to your patients ask them what they’re looking for

Alison Werner (09:06)
Mm -hmm. Right, exactly. Right.

Mm

Terri (09:23)
Start to look at the data. Again, do people come back? Why or why not? If you have a med spot or offer nonsurgical things, and I would imagine 90 % or more of surgeons do, how much of the revenue is coming from where? Because when we start to look at our business in that lens, we can make informed decisions versus, my god, I love this thing and it’s amazing. Well, maybe it is, but is it right for you?

Alison Werner (09:49)
Right. Right. So how do you as a how what do you recommend to practices that are looking to do this? And as a doctor and as a staff, you have to talk to patients about it. What do you how do you recommend they take that approach to start to talk to patients about that holistic approach?

Terri (10:00)
Mm

Yeah, I think it goes back. I will always, again, be very bullish and bold with conviction and passion is that it really has to go back to the training, the training of your entire team. Again, it’s very simple to hire people and put them in a role. But what is their why behind their job? What is their role? What KPIs are they tied to? And we have to go back to say, well, what is my process? I think the industry lacks a process.

Alison Werner (10:20)
Mm.

Mm.

Hmm.

Terri (10:36)
Meaning, if Alison came in and then Mary was at the front desk and then Larry was there the next, like, is it a systematic, right? What does the company have SOPs? And that conversation begins with using the right tools, such as a cosmetic interest questionnaire. Then it becomes an easier conversation to open up a door.

Alison Werner (10:44)
All right.

Yeah.

Terri (11:01)
when you’re introducing something on a piece of paper because you think it’s the right thing to do to expose clients to all of these other things. Statistics show 60 % of patients said they did not know practices offered certain things. Why? Because we don’t educate them. We treat it transactionally. They come in for the consult. We talk about the one thing or the two things, and then they go. And then that’s it. Then there’s no follow -up.

Alison Werner (11:18)
Mm.

Yeah.

Terri (11:28)
45 % of people are never followed up with it all. So if we can just go back to the basics, say, what is the philosophy of my practice? How well is my team trained? Are we using the right tools in the consultation? How valid and how good is the consultation? And are we building a treatment plan? And that needs to be not optional. If you’re surgeon, if you’re a provider, you have to believe that that’s just the right thing to do.

Alison Werner (11:31)
Hmm.

Mm.

Terri (11:55)
And that is the only way, that is truly the only way to build loyalty, to build retention, to have better outcomes and to make money, which is what everyone wants.

Alison Werner (12:04)
Yeah. Yeah. Well, especially as you said in a previous episode, you know, the fact is the market is down. So you’ve got to find a way to offset some of those numbers. So what metrics should practices be looking at as they’re undertaking this and as they’re gauging whether these things are working?

Terri (12:11)
Mm

Yeah, think we have to look at, one, really let’s pay attention to how much revenue are you bringing in, and then in what areas. What percent is surgery? What percent is non -surgery? What percent is wellness? Looking at your profit margins. We have to have a significant, right, gross profit. Looking at the potential devices or modalities you might bring in.

Alison Werner (12:41)
Mm

Terri (12:55)
and the gross profit on those, which in the non -surgical world, right, need to be over 60 % and much higher up at surgery. But it needs to be high. needs to make sense because we’re not paying labor. We’re not discounting. Let’s look at our patient conversion rates. Cost per acquisition to get a client in the door. I think those are a couple of significant things to look at where it doesn’t become overwhelming and then we can make a decision. And then what is the cost of that thing and how quickly can I either pay it off?

Alison Werner (13:03)
Yeah.

Yeah.

Mm

Terri (13:24)
or get adoption from your clients.

Alison Werner (13:26)
Mm

you know, the fact is that eventually some of the service has probably become a little stagnant. So how often or what should be what should practice owners be looking at when it’s like, maybe I need to look at adding something new or maybe this is getting tired. How would you tell them to approach that?

Terri (13:53)
That’s a good question.

I’d like to believe that decisions are made based on facts and not feelings. when a practice chooses to buy anything, does it complement the surgery, number one? And is it something that your patients want? If that’s the case, then hopefully the utilization of those pieces of equipment, devices, products, whatever it is, are being used.

Alison Werner (13:59)
Mm

Mm -hmm.

Terri (14:22)
when a practice is operating at a 70 % capacity, that’s when from a provider perspective, that’s when really, at least on the nonsurgical side, that’s really when we can say, okay, maybe it’s time to expand and or offer something else. And or if you want to increase revenue streams, and there’s something innovative on the market that complements your business, that’s when. You know, I think if things are just sitting there stagnant, we really have to just start to question why.

Alison Werner (14:45)
Mm

Terri (14:52)
Do people not want it? Does it not work? Why is it not selling?

Alison Werner (14:55)
Mm

Or is it just the passing fad or trend or whatever it is?

Terri (15:02)
Maybe, they’re right. Maybe depending on whatever, whatever it is. I think, I think in our, in our world, there’s not a lot of hype, trendy stuff. mean, there can be, but hopefully we’re not, we’re not buying that just because of, you know, because we, we, you know, we saw it at a conference. Like, does it actually make sense in your business model?

Alison Werner (15:06)
Yeah.

Mm -hmm. Mm -hmm.

Mm hmm. Yeah. How do you talk to doctors about who are trying to figure out how to vet a new offering a new technology to know that it’s right for them?

Terri (15:40)
I think obviously first and foremost, right, is there enough scientific data to back the support, the results? Talking to other key opinion leaders in the industry, not just talking to the company, like getting real facts, like how are other practices using it? Do patients love it? How is it being used? Was it worth the investment? Just, I think just do some research and really not just take it from the company.

Alison Werner (16:09)
Okay.

Terri (16:09)
And really making sure there’s adequate training and then marketing support from the company around helping the practices to execute something.

Alison Werner (16:19)
Okay. And then in terms of marketing to patients about the services you’re offering, is there any advice, especially if they’re trying to capture those patients who have already just done their one and done and don’t maybe realize that the practice offers more, but they’re kind of on the books, they’re there. How do you suggest that practices market to those patients, but also to the larger community?

Terri (16:45)
Yeah, I think a couple of things. think, again, back to what we talked about a few minutes ago, really making sure that you have the tools. If you have a cosmetic interest questionnaire, everyone fills that out. Prior to them coming in, everyone must fill that out. It’s just a protocol. That’s one. You’re going to get facts. You’re going to see how many people fill out that they’re interested in something, whether it’s a problem or a product or a treatment. That’s one. The second thing is when we think about marketing, it’s reach and frequency. It costs, you know, it takes

Alison Werner (16:57)
Okay.

Terri (17:14)
eight to 10 touch points, sometimes up to 30 touch points for a client to make a decision. So how often are you writing newsletters or blogs that are written for SEO, by the way, not just somebody in the practice who’s not even a real good writer, write something, but how often are we putting out valuable educational material on our website to increase ranking on our social media platform?

Alison Werner (17:31)
Mm

Terri (17:41)
about something and that is a way, know, everybody is seeking information and we need to be seeking it from the right source. So I think, you know, forget looking at SEO and your website and PPC and ads and all this stuff. It’s, let’s get out, let’s provide valuable information to our patients that will eventually resonate and they’ll want to come.

Alison Werner (17:49)
Mm -hmm.

So what’s your final takeaway message for practices that I really want to focus in on offering a holistic approach if they haven’t already started?

Terri (18:17)
Yeah, I think the final message is…

And people might not want to hear this answer because not everybody has strength in running the business, but we really just do have to go back. Again, it’s easy for surgeons to be in the OR and be really busy, and that’s amazing. But busy doesn’t mean being profitable as a whole. So let’s really, I invite you, and I encourage everyone listening to really say, OK, what is my business today? Am I happy with it?

What’s working? What’s not? Where can we improve? How well is the team trained? Are my benchmarks and my KPIs being met? It’s either yes or no. There’s no gray. And if they aren’t, it’s an opportunity. It’s not a bad thing. It’s an opportunity to improve and to grow and to make the right decisions that can have a positive impact. So that’s what I would say. Don’t be reactive. Don’t make irrational decisions.

Alison Werner (19:01)
Yeah.

Terri (19:22)
financially make sense for the business? the team going to embrace it and sell it? Do your patients want it? Can your business afford to do it? And what are your expectations if you bring it in? And that’s it. And I think when we can just embrace this business side of it, everyone will be in a much better place, both financially and from a patient safety and outcome perspective.

Alison Werner (19:51)
Yeah. One more question. If a doctor is feeling or a business owner is feeling overwhelmed by taking on this and moving beyond the surgical and looking at the whole business, where should they go to either get help to figure out how to do this or to just educate themselves? That works. Well, no, I think it’s

Terri (20:08)
Call me. Call me. No, I mean, look at now this is bit self -serving, but thank you for asking. No, I think. Yeah, no.

Alison Werner (20:18)
question because you just talked about how, you know, they’re making a big transition and they’ve got to look at a lot of things and it can be overwhelming.

Terri (20:23)
Yeah, no. Yes, and thank you for asking. I’m super proud. I don’t know if everyone knows, but Dr. Renato Sulz, Isaac and myself, Isaac Musely, my ex -co -CEO, we sold the company. But we started the 4S Summit. And the 4S Summit is a sales and business mastery summit that we started to fill the gap in the aesthetic market. And it’s really a two and a half day.

down and dirty deep dive. It’s a conference around business. And I’m sharing that because the ASAPs, so excited, recently sent out a press release that they have adopted the 4S Summit as their sole practice management provider. And why? If the societies are recognizing, a minute, surgeons are seeking help and advice. I’m gonna say, if you’re stuck and struggling, please don’t try to do it on your own. You’re gonna waste time and money, perhaps make costly mistakes.

Alison Werner (21:05)
great. Yeah.

Yeah, absolutely. Yep.

Terri (21:22)
we’re here to really do sort of an initial business evaluation and we write a very deep dive formal business report to help practices understand where the opportunities are and how do we coach them to fix it. So that’s what I would say. I invite you to call me.

Alison Werner (21:36)
Yeah. Excellent. Well, Terry, thank you again, as always. It’s been a pleasure. All right. Thanks.

Terri (21:43)
Thank you, Allison. Take care. Thanks for listening.

Alison Werner (21:47)
Thank you for checking out this episode 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.

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.

Alison Werner (00:10)
Welcome back to the Plastic Surgery Practice podcast. I’m your host, Alison Werner And today we’re wrapping up our series on growth strategies for plastic surgery practices with consultant Terry Ross. Over the past few episodes, Terry has provided insights into the state of the market, the key metrics practice owners should be tracking, expanding into wellness and non-surgical offerings, and the impact of technology like AI on patient engagement and practice efficiency. Now it’s time to bring it all together with a focus on accountability.

Growth and expansion offer incredible potential, but they come with the responsibility to hold yourself accountable as business owners and to hold your teams accountable for their roles. Today’s conversation is about making intentional choices, deciding if you want to build a thriving business or remain focused on clinical work, setting clear expectations and creating a plan that aligns your business with the life you envision for yourself now and in the future.

Alison Werner (00:58)
Again, Terri is the CEO of Terry 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.

Alison Werner (01:16)
Terry, thank you so much for joining me for this episode.

Terri (01:18)
Thank you, Allison. I’m really excited to be here as always and kind of pull all this together.

Alison Werner (01:23)
Yeah, okay, so over the course of this series, you’ve shared some really valuable strategies for growth, growth and success all come down to accountability. For practice owners, what are the first steps to holding themselves accountable to both their clinical and their business goals?

Terri (01:38)
Well, before I answer that, if you don’t mind, I’d love to share and shed a little light when we’re thinking about accountability. And there were some recent statistics I think that would be empowering to share. 60 % of aesthetic practices in 2023 said that they had inconsistent staff performance in implementing KPIs, looking at efficiencies. And when we’re thinking about

Alison Werner (01:40)
Mm-hmm.

Mm.

Terri (02:05)
practice owners and spa actually said 68%. So taking a combination of medical spas, which most plastic surgeons have 68 % of practice owners reported struggling again to balance their roles as doctors and as business owners. And so this does prevent the challenge. But teams perform literally and profits increase almost 30%.

Alison Werner (02:13)
Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Terri (02:31)
and retention improves around 41 % when we hold people accountable. So I think the first thing to your question that business owners need to do is one, put on the entrepreneur hat, right? As a surgeon, you still have to be an entrepreneur and an owner and a leader. And the other is to really take a good, hard evaluation to say,

What are the traits, not even the skill sets, right? You can teach skills. I cannot teach somebody to be motivated and hungry and driven, right? We can’t teach those traits. So what are the roles within the practice? We all know what they are, right? You’re front desk, you’re PCC’s, you’re providers, you’re surgical staff, right? We’re managers. And what truly are the traits that you’re looking for for that role to be successful? And then the next would be

Alison Werner (03:08)
Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Hmm.

Terri (03:27)
And I don’t want to use a job description loosely, backing into what a job description is intended to do. It’s not a piece of paper, someone signs that I’m just going to do these tasks. But what are you going to hold them accountable to? For example, a front desk should be held accountable to conversions.

Alison Werner (03:36)
Mm hmm. Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Terri (03:46)
Right. And PCC should be held also accountable to conversions and surgical, right. Getting more surgeries on the books. Managers accountable to profits. Those are just a few things. So I think that’s where we need to start.

Alison Werner (03:53)
Mm-hmm.

How should practice owners then approach setting and reinforcing clear expectations then for their staff?

Terri (04:07)
I love the question. Look, data doesn’t lie. It’s not emotional. It’s not about feelings. I think a lot of people struggle with understanding the data. Well, in order to answer your question, you have to look at the data, right? How many new patients came in? How many were converted? What is the average spend per patient? What is the retention rates? I mean, what is our retail? And then we can say,

You know, think management should have morning huddles or morning team kickoffs, right? To get everybody setting the tone for the day. What are the expectations? What are the goals? Are we up or are we down? How are we going to hit it? One, something motivating. Two, are we having monthly meetings as a company?

Alison Werner (04:45)
Thank

Terri (04:51)
Right to talk about what’s working, what’s not go around the room. Have everybody be responsible, not talk at your team. Have everybody in their respective departments go around the room and talk about their what they’re held accountable for. And then I think performance reviews are critical and a lot of practices just don’t do them. And you know where you have your team rate themselves, you can really get a lot of information on how they feel they’re doing. You read it and then you rate them and then have a conversation.

Alison Werner (04:54)
Mm-hmm.

Terri (05:21)
And I think any good leader is there to, again, coach people up or coach them out. But we have to give them an opportunity to do that.

Alison Werner (05:30)
Okay, so that’s how to hold the team accountable. How does the doctor hold themselves accountable?

Terri (05:38)
Yeah, think that, yeah, yeah, I love it. look, and I say this from a humble place, but from a place of working with a world renowned plastic surgeon, Renato Saltz, which everyone knows, we started our own conference to fill this exact gap because you’re a surgeon, you’re amazing at your craft.

Alison Werner (05:41)
or the business owner hold themselves accountable.

Terri (06:02)
But there is no you’re not taught the business side of medicine. So it’s hard because you can be super busy right and have a thriving practice money in the bank. But yet there’s like a lack of leadership and culture and and that’s to no fault. It’s just that that’s what comes out in every survey. So I would say. Reflect on reflect on why you started your practice in the first place.

You know, it’s one thing to say, want to write, I want to provide good patient outcomes and good results and be a caretaker. That is great. But that if you chose to not work in a hospital and own a business, there is a side of you that really has to kind of be vulnerable a bit.

to say, OK, well, what kind of leader am I? Am I motivating? Am I encouraging? Am I lead by example? Or am I dictatorial? We teach this in the 4S Conference. So who are you as a person? Why do people want to work for you? Why are they loyal to you? And if you struggle in that area, I think then, look, many people have life coaches, business coaches, mentorships.

and or, you know, our conference out. So I think there’s ways to improve it. And that is really the only way you’re going to build that culture of unity and leadership that you want.

Alison Werner (07:18)
Mm-hmm.

Yeah. You know, a lot of doctors, if they decide to become a business owner, it’s because they want to have a certain lifestyle or they want to have a certain future once they leave their practice. When looking at the lifestyle they want both now and when they retire, how can a practice owners ensure that their business goals align with those personal aspirations?

Terri (07:50)
Such a great question. I’m always, and if you guys know me now, I’m always gonna tie it back to data because there’s only so many hours in a day, so many hours in a month, right, to do surgery or to see patients.

So in my opinion, and my strong belief is really understanding what kind of practice do you have and how much revenue can you maximize out of the place. I think that’s really important to right? To know what that potential could be. And then it’s about saying, okay, well, right, what is my family, my personal lifestyle? Are my kids in school? Are they in sports? My wife? And making sure you can set goals that are achievable to hit.

Or not, maybe we’re operating at 70 % capacity, whatever that might be, right? Or revenue, whatever that might be that you’re comfortable with, but that you also have a quality of life. And when you know those two things, there’s no rat race. We’re not chasing money or wondering why one month was great and then one month wasn’t great, or why some team stays, why do they quit? Like why some thrive, some don’t? Well, what have we, what training have we provided them? And then what-

Alison Werner (08:39)
Mm-hmm.

Terri (09:04)
What are you as an owner, your expectations? And then when we can draw those together, it’s just facts and not emotional.

Alison Werner (09:11)
Yeah. If practice centers feel overwhelmed by that balance between clinical and business growth or clinical work and business growth, what support systems or resources can help them stay kind of committed to both?

Terri (09:26)
I believe and I speak for myself. I’m just a lifelong learner. I constantly am involved in coaches I’ve had, still have, mentorship again that I belong to. When you’re surrounded by a team of people, a tribe, a Materious Tribe, a community, you thrive together. And I think there’s this space is evolving so rapidly that I would encourage everyone again, if they’re not suffering, please, you know.

Alison Werner (09:30)
Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Terri (09:55)
look up our 4S Summit or seek out someone with expertise that you don’t have.

Alison Werner (10:02)
Okay, so my final question for practices that have listened to the business owners that have listened to the previous episodes and they’re thinking about taking on one of these expansion opportunities. What’s your final message for them in terms of doing so successfully?

Terri (10:17)
Yeah, I love it.

Make sure that the decisions make sense for the business and that your team is bought into it. You know, have transparent conversations about why. I’m always going to go back to the why. Like, what is the purpose? How is it going to affect your business? Who is going to be involved? Right? Who’s responsible? Who, what, when, where, why? I think those things really matter at the time. Does your, does your market demand it? Does your market demand it? Do the patients, are they going to come for it? Have you surveyed them?

Alison Werner (10:43)
Yeah.

Terri (10:51)
And then is it going to be profitable for you, whatever that expansion services are? Is that the right thing for your service mix? The last thing anyone wants is to buy a piece of equipment or bring on a new treatment and it sits there or it flops. So just get everyone involved, get everyone bought in, identify who’s responsible for what, seek information from your patients and.

make sure it makes money and that the execution of anything is such that you can track progress.

Alison Werner (11:25)
Great. Well, Terry, if anybody wants to get in touch with you, to work with you, or to learn more about the services you offer, what’s the best way to do that?

Terri (11:32)
Thank you so much. Yeah, please visit terryrossconsulting.com is my website. My Instagram is also Terry Ross Consulting. And then the conference that we have is the 4S Summit. Thank you, Allison. I’ve been so honored to be part of this amazing podcast that you’re doing. So kudos to you and the team for really giving back to the industry and putting out such great information.

Alison Werner (11:55)
Great. Well, thank you again, Terry, for all your time and for your expertise on all these issues. thank you. All right. Perfect.

Terri (11:58)
Yeah. Thank you, Allison. soon.

Alison Werner (12:03)
Thank you for checking out this episode of Plastic Surgery Practice podcast. Be sure to check out PlasticSurgeryPractice.com to keep up with the latest industry news. Until next time, take care.