Every Labor Day Weekend, I lecture and chair sessions at the 5 Continent Congress (5CC) Cosmetic Dermatology and Plastic Surgery meeting in Barcelona, Spain. For 3 years now I have enjoyed walking the city of Barcelona, but this year, before the meeting, I took a tour of Monserrat, a serrated mountain village with monastery and amazing views 1 hour away from the 2nd most visited city in Europe. The inspiring views and stories of those who lived on the mountain were the perfect way to ease my way into the meeting after my 15 hour flight. When I arrived to the 5CC venue, I went straight to the exhibit hall and received a Hydrafacial treatment. We have the Hydrafacial system in the Las Vegas Dermatology clinic and it is used to exfoliate and clean the skin with options to improve discoloration, signs of aging and acne. It was refreshing to have my face properly cleansed prior to speaking in front of and with my international colleagues.
At the 2019 5CC meeting, I spoke on Platelet-Rich Plasma (aka PRP) for hair loss and anti aging therapies used in the dermatology clinic. PRP has become a powerful tool for improving appearance in our clinic- be it through quicker wound healing times and better long term cosmetic results with CO2 laser, microneedling and Venus Viva treatments or the promise of more and thicker hair through scalp injections. PRP is obtained through a simple blood draw, which harnesses the power of growth factors found within your own platelets using the body’s own signaling pathways to regrow collagen and improve hair. More studies are needed, but PRP is hot, and the afternoon PRP session was one of the best attended sessions of the meeting.
I also chaired the 5CC session on 5-star customer service for patients. At Las Vegas Dermatology our goal is to provide our patients and staff with a Healthier & More Beautiful Life. During the customer service session one of the dermatologists said something that struck me in a way that made me re-examine the doctor-patient relationship; he said that in the examination room, “Patients are not Customers, they are patients”. Dr. Bradley Bloom from New York says that, “In the Customer service world, the customer is always right, but this is not always true in the medical world. Physicians treat patients, not customers according to Dr. Bradley Bloom. It has always been a little odd to me how patients rate our services. Rating physicians can be tricky because sometimes physician ratings are based on emotions and not on if proper care was administered. When patients do not know the medically correct answer, there can be an emotional response. The art of medicine requires that the medical component of what we do is combined in a way that allows the patient to understand and feel comfortable with their diagnosis and treatment. Recently, I had a couple of negative reviews on Yelp!, mostly because I disagreed with patients about their preconceived notions of how to care for them. Being an excellent physician requires me to help the patient understand and know what is happening to them and why- when misunderstanding leads to upset, there is a failure of the physician patient relationship. As a fiduciary, the serious nature of what physcians do requires us to put the needs of the patient above our own needs, even if the patient disagrees or continues not to understand. The providing 5 star customer service session also reminded of how in 6/2019, the Las Vegas Dermatology team took the Zappos Culture Tour to learn how Zappos provides excellent customer service. After the Zappos visit, Las Vegas Dermatology redoubled its efforts to provide great customer service, by answering the phones, returning calls, verifying insurances, helping with prescription issues and getting lab results to patients in a timely fashion.
After my time learning, teaching and chairing 5CC sessions in Barcelona I undertook an incredible European adventure, visiting Odessa, Lviv, Kiev, Vilnius, Tallinn, Helsinki and London for a total of 8 cities in 14 days. It was a fast paced eye opening experience where I learned about each city through walks, local foods, museums, tour guides, guidebooks, and each location’s journey through different forms of government. Although I will not be able to articulate all of my adventures for the sake of brevity, I learned that I love to travel and that there are many more places I wish to visit- connecting with the various customs, cultures, and stories left me hungry for my next 5CC meeting in 2020 ✌🏻.
(because patients may not know what the standard of care is in their given situation), but rather patient’s expectations of what should have happened based on the patient’s preconceived bias instead of the science which they may or may not know.
As I listened to this physician, I was Most patients are appreciative of this general customer service aspect, and in the transfer of information and following through on our end of giving patients what they need, I do care very much about the customer service aspect of what we do. As physicians and a medical practice, team LVDerm strives to provide patients with the tools, “For a Healthier & More Beautiful Life”. I do not expect patients to know what disease they have or how it is treated, but I will always strive to do what is right for the patient, especially when they do not know or understand what they need- it’s my job to assist them.
or them seeing another physician, these patients chose to voice their displeasure on line.
This, I spoke, chaired a session, and attended a combined core cosmetic specialty medical conference with dermatologists, plastic surgeons and facial plastic surgeons in Barcelona known as the. My eyes were opened to new possibilities, experiences, opportunities, and adventures. For 3 days, I felt like I was back in my dermatology residency training program, learning new filler, botox, thread, kybella, ultrasound and laser techniques from physicians based in China, Thailand, Russia, the UK and more. I broke bread with thought and industry leaders in their fields from across the globe and am inspired by my interactions to invest in new technologies and techniques that will provide Las Vegas Dermatology’s patients with a Healthier & More Beautiful Life.
Dr. Michael Gold has always been a tremendous mentor to me and his meeting with amazing colleagues like Terrence Keaney, Todd Schlessinger, Dendy England, Brian
H.L. Greenberg, M.D. 👨🏻⚕️
Founder @lvderm
Las Vegas Dermatology 💼💉🔪
653 N. Town Center Dr. Suite #414 Las Vegas, NV 89144 📍
(702) 456-3120📞
Email: info@lvderm.com 📩
Website: www.lvderm.com 🖥
While away, our new Dermatologist, Dr. David Cotter was busy seeing patients and growing his practice. Dr. Cotter will be doing an event at the office on (everyone- David and Autumn and I should say or do something at the event).
At Las Vegas Dermatology our mission statement is, “For a Healthier & More Beautiful Life”. We are a dermatology practice, and while we are focused on treating diseases and cosmetic concerns of the skin, ultimately we are looking to improve the lives of our patients and our team. We treat all kinds of patients, from those who have very serious medical concerns to people with unwanted tattoo ink preventing them from joining the military. Many of our patients are fearful of the implications of a diagnosis or what skin condition they may have. Other patients are simply looking for a little pampering with a laser facial, Hydrafacial or light chemical peel for an event. Ultimately, I am a physician in a medical dermatology practice, and while we enjoy ourselves at Las Vegas Dermatology, the serious nature of what we do requires a fiduciary responsibility where the needs of the patient are put above our own needs.
Every business has its own unique characteristics, and it has taken us a number of years to make our #LVDerm culture what it is today. Las Vegas Dermatology remains the type of practice where I would want to go if I were a patient- a warm, welcoming environment where patient questions are answered, diagnosis explained and treatments are offered. We have team meetings every other Wednesday where we grow our esprit de corps and discuss how to improve what we do. Our goal is to treat each patient as if they were the most important person in the world. Thank you Zappos for letting us explore your culture and learn from you.
