Avoiding Claims
If you want to avoid claims being made against your aesthetic practice, then managing patients’ expectations is absolutely key.
To do this, successfully the Enhance Insurance team – who have years of experience dealing with aesthetic clinic claims – recommend that you:
Find your niche
Avoid being a ‘jack of all trades’ – instead focus on a few treatments that you can really master and tailor to individual patient needs. This may be treating a specific demographic or offering advanced treatment for particular indications, such as ageing around the eyes or managing hair loss.
If you try to do too much then you’ll dilute your skills and may make yourself more open to complaints and claims.
Assess patients’ mental wellbeing
While conducting a detailed physical examination is essential before undertaking an aesthetic procedure, you should also review a potential patient’s mental health.
Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is very common and may mean that patients suffering from the condition may never be satisfied with the results you produce.
There are multiple screening tools available online that you can utilise, and it’s always important to refer patients for specific support if you identify BDD.
Ensure communication is accessible
A good clinic will provide multiple forms of communication that will help manage patient expectations. Some people prefer to read guidance, while others take in information better through listening. Talk and write to your patients so they can access advice in a way that suits them.
Before a consultation, it’s useful to send guidance on what will be discussed and general information on the treatments the potential patient is interested in.
Of course, you will talk this through during the consultation and always allow the patient to ask plenty of questions. Follow this up with a written summary of your discussion that can be referred back to if necessary.
Blogs and social media posts can also really help improve your clinic’s communication and help manage patients’ expectations when they undergo treatment with you!
Stay protected
Sometimes we aren’t always able to manage patient expectations, which could lead to claims of medical malpractice. If this happens to you, do you know if you have the right insurance coverage in place that is up to date?
