Cosmetic surgical procedures have increased in popularity in the United States over the last two decades, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). In 2019, 18.4 million cosmetic procedures were performed, a 3.8% increase over 2018 and a 173% increase over 2000.
However, everything changed when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, resulting in unanticipated socioeconomic consequences throughout the world. Every industry suffered significant losses, but the healthcare sector was particularly hard hit. According to ASPS reports, 2020 was unfavourable for cosmetic surgeons, as the total number of cosmetic procedures decreased 15% from 2019.
Drs. Humberto and Gabriel Palladino, board certified physicians and co-founders of Top Aesthetics, explain how the pandemic compelled healthcare practices to rethink their business models. They believe, however, that the healthcare industry will soon regain its footing, but that there are several obstacles that their colleagues must overcome.
For them, the transition to a virtual environment is one of the most difficult challenges that the healthcare industry faced throughout 2021.
“Transitioning to a virtual environment continues to be a challenge for many industries, but particularly the healthcare sector,” they say. “The healthcare industry is quite unique in this regard, as legal and bureaucratic barriers result in a very slow implementation process.”
As the Palladino brothers further explain, these bureaucratic impediments make adapting to the “new normal” extremely inefficient.
“The barriers are not technological, but bureaucratic, and until we overcome them, the necessary changes will always lag behind. However, these obstacles are somewhat understandable as there are strict legal standards that are put in place in order to protect both patients and doctors.”
“We were fortunate in that we recognised the need for these changes prior to the pandemic and implemented a large number of them on time,” the Palladino brothers continue. “When we founded Top Aesthetics, we realised that the field of cosmetic surgery has a diverse set of standards, none of which have been met up until now.”
The Palladino brothers further explain that they chose to raise the bar in all areas, establishing a new, significantly higher safety standard for their patient’s care. They also believe that the revolutionary system they implemented has kept their company many steps ahead of the competition, moving them toward their ultimate goal of providing their patients with the safest, most reliable results possible at an affordable price point.
The Top Aesthetics team intends to continue developing and improving this ground-breaking patient and practice management system over the coming months and years. They will soon make this technologically advanced and efficient platform powered by Artificial Intelligence (Ai) technologies available to others. As the Palladino brothers explain, this will improve patient care and safety more broadly and enable others to offer their patients the opportunity to experience excellence.
“From the moment patients contact the practice until many years after receiving treatment or undergoing a procedure, they will receive care and service that far exceeds the industry standard,” they say. “That’s why satisfaction is guaranteed when working with the Top Aesthetics team.”
