Can An Increase In Cosmetic Surgery Open New Markets For You?

As reported by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, cosmetic surgical procedures have increased more than 3 percent in the past year, with approximately 1.7 million procedures performed in 2012*. This may not appear to be a drastic rise, but considering that in the past 16 years the number of cosmetic procedures for women has increased over 252 percent*, it is clear that this market is growing exponentially.

However, although more people might be opting for cosmetic procedures, it does not necessarily mean that more people have the funds readily available or are being approved for financing for such procedures. These can include anything from cosmetic surgery, Lasik eye surgery, cosmetic dentistry or even hair replacement.

When individuals do not have the money right away for these services, they typically can select the option of financing through their selected doctor’s office, if offered, or CareCredit, a credit card designed for patient health, beauty, and wellness needs. But if they are denied, where can they turn to next?

Healthcare industries now have the opportunity to offer an additional method of patient financing to guarantee patients have every possible option to obtain the funds they need for their desired service. External business financing institutions that provide healthcare and patient financing enable practitioners to ensure that no matter what, there is a way for a patient to obtain their desired procedures.

One of our close partners, a national Lasik surgery provider, has been able to expand their business by taking advantage of such financing services. As a national Lasik provider performing more than 950,000 procedures over the last 14 years, our client has been able to improve their CareCredit financing approval rates from an approximate 50 percent to almost 100 percent.

When denied CareCredit, the patient then has the option to get interest-free financing directly from any business financer. With a small deposit of varying percentages to the provider for the procedure, the doctor is removed as the middleman. This works as a non-recourse transaction, as the patient deals with the external financer directly for their monthly payments. These occur in small installments for the general option of 12 to 24 months, offering the patient flexibility without worry.

What opportunity does this present to ISOs? With the option of these new services, there is the potential for growth into an expanding and relatively untouched market. When offering this solution to doctors and medical providers as a method of subprime patient financing, the doctor can be assured of increased clientele and traffic growth for individuals who may have been previously denied by existing financing options. In addition, as many independent sales operatives currently work with credit card processors, this can only be seen as one more desirable service or market to explore.

* Reference source: http://www.surgery.org/media/news-releases/cosmetic-procedures-increase-in-2012