There’s help on the way for doctors in the form of new web sites have been launched with the purpose of providing physician-to-physician mentoring in specific medical fields.

Medical spas have exploded over the last few years, fueled by technology companies eager to keep their head above water in increasingly competitive environment, and the burgeoning work load of physicians who see medical spas as an easy sell to their existing patient base. Adding a lucrative medical spa to their existing practice seems like a no-brainer for doctors from plastic surgeons and dermatologists, to dentists and family practice doctors. Unfortunately, many of these doctors have been sold on an illusion. Laser and IPL companies routinely downplay the level of competition and level of business acumen needed to compete in this field and already overworked physicians end up with another headache and a pile of invoices.

But some help might be on the way for theses doctors in the form of web sites that offer information and mentoring from other physicians and business savvy medical spa owners.
The frontrunner of these sites is Medical Spas Online (www.medspa.squarespace.com) a blog site for physicians interested or involved in non-surgical cosmetic and anti-aging medicine. Started by Jeff Barson, Managing Partner of Surface Medical Spas and the Editor in Chief, Medical Spas Online embraced a concept radically different from other publishers who see the Web simply as a way to put up their business site.

In contrast, Medical Spas Online, from the start, was designed to be a micro-site that had a single focus: a place where visitors could quickly find useful content that focuses exclusively on non-surgical cosmetic and anti-aging medicine and the business platforms used to deliver these services. The content is provided from physicians and businesses already in the market who know what they’re doing and what’s important and relevant to their field.

Medical Spas Online's primary target audience was and is American clinicians in the non-surgical/cosmetic/anti-aging arena: a decision made prior to launch. Medical Spas Online understood the information needs of these healthcare professionals from their own experience. But significantly -- and controversially – Medical Spas Online was also designed to be open to anyone who wanted information. Physicians, consumers, or any combination thereof could register and have full access to the site, whether they lived in Portland, Maine, or Prague.

In addition to the normal laundry list of treatment information, physicians can find articles and postings on topics from interviewing staff, financing and growth, common mistakes, to which IPL to choose and what kinds of marketing works. There’s also ongoing conversations about insider information like “black market” Thermage tips and PDT delivery modalities. (Very useful if you need to know what that stuff is.) Most of this information is not available anywhere else with the level of detail that MSO can provide.

“We took cues from what our own needs and experiences have been,” says Barson. “We decided that we would provide freely available, practical, clinical and business info about non-surgical cosmetic and anti-aging medicine to physicians and patients and leave general content to other sites. We’re dedicated to making a resource for physicians and patients who wanted the most current information on the revolution taking place in non-surgical cosmetic and anti-aging medicine. Telomere clipping, Pointe Lift, personal DNA testing, IPL, RF and lasers, Liposolve Mesotherapy, Bio-Identical Hormone Balancing... there's a lot.”

Medical Spas Online also wanted to take advantage of the web's ability to connect. Physicians rarely have the chance to converse or learn form other doctors who are not their immediate area of competition by posting questions and answers on topics specific to this field. Physicians can mentor and learn from other physicians in a way that eliminates the business competition threats. And patients can interact with physicians in a safe environment that removes the pressure that patients usually feel when interacting with doctors.

Their open-door strategy is in contrast to other sites who exclusively solicit consumers or physicians as a sales tool or are supported by advertisers who can exert influence.
Medical Spas Online welcomes everyone interested in professional-level medical information for both commercial and philosophic reasons.

“We liked the idea that consumers and non-MDs could finally get the same information their doctors read,” says Barson.

As it turned out, and in contrast to the conventional wisdom, many doctors liked that, too.
Medical Spas Online is a not-for-profit online community dedicated to the newest advances in non-surgical cosmetic and anti-aging medicine and the business platforms used to deliver these services. Medical Spas Online is headquartered in Park City, Utah. Information is available online at www.medspa.squarespace.com

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