Hey, Dermatologists, It’s National Healthy Skin Month – Why Not Also Offer Your Patients a Healthy Financing Solution?
November is National Healthy Skin Month, and the American Academy of Dermatology offers an extensive list of tips for helping Americans keep their skin healthy. But there’s another option dermatologists can offer their patients to safeguard their financial health, too.
The Academy’s skin health ideas range from drinking more water and eating a well-balanced diet to protecting skin with daily sunscreen use. Unfortunately, some skin conditions persist despite the best skin care routines – things like deep-set wrinkles, disfiguring acne or scarring, or worse skin cancers. Fortunately, medical and technological advances in dermatology offer hope and recourse for individuals looking to improve their skin’s appearance or treat skin cancer – if they can afford it.
Most insurance policies do not cover procedures that aren’t deemed medically necessary. These include cosmetic procedures like chemical peels, laser and light procedures and microneedling to treat facial acne and scarring, Botox and fillers to treat wrinkles, and tattoo removal. Costs for these procedures can range from several hundred dollars to thousands of dollars, depending on the specific treatment. One study published in the Archives of Dermatology found that average treatment costs for skin cancers range from $1,732 for stage I disease to $56,059 for stage IV disease. While insurance usually covers the cost of skin cancer treatments, patients are still responsible for copays and deductibles, which by themselves can total in the thousands of dollars.
When pursuing procedures to correct or improve skin conditions or appearance, or to treat cancer, many patients often turn to medical credit cards or dip into their savings to pay for the procedure. This is not surprising, since many dermatology and cosmetic practices offer these as a way for patients to finance the cost of their procedures. But what if there was a better way for practices to help patients pay for their procedures – a way that also increases the number of patients a practice can serve? The good news is: There is.
Care Cap Plus is an innovative health care and medical financing solution that offers dermatology practices a simple and easy way to help their patients afford the care they need and want – whether paying for an elective cosmetic procedure to minimize acne scarring or covering a high deductible to treat skin cancer. Unlike a medical credit card, Care Cap Plus never charges patients interest or fees. Providers are paid 30% upfront for the cost of the patient’s procedure, and the balance is paid over 12 months. And because Care Cap Plus accepts patients with credit scores as low as 400, your practice will be able to accept more patients.
Internal medicine specialist and top trainer of aesthetics practitioners, Dr. H. William Song of Omni Aesthetics, based in Oakland, NJ, provides Care Cap Plus to help patients pay for elective procedures insurance does not cover, and who don’t qualify for other credit-based financing options. “A patient born with an asymmetrical fat distribution that created a very visible deformity was desperate to have her deformity corrected,” said Dr. Wong. “With Care Cap Plus, she was able to pay for her procedure over time and I gained a new and very happy patient,”
Care Cap Plus found in a recent survey that nearly 4 in 10 people said they would be more likely to pick a medical practice that demonstrates concern about their medical debt. And almost 1 in 3 said they would be interested in a medical practice that offers no-interest /no-fee financing for procedures that aren’t covered by insurance.
Expert dermatologic care can change lives for the better, and patients need to recognize that they can afford to make it happen. If you’re a dermatology practice that also offers cosmetic and skin care procedures, isn’t it time you add Care Cap Plus to your mix of patient financing options?