IAHRS & other similar alliances and physician groups simply Marketing tools ?

[Bill - Seemiller]

Chrisdav,

 

I admire you for being forthcoming with your identity, though it wasn't really necessary. Very few are willing to provide this information, but I have deep respect for those who do.

 

You have been a member of this community for a couple of years and thus, I certainly value your input. I do hope you can see that while no system is perfect, we do our best to be as transparent as possible in prescreening and recommending only those physicians we'd trust our own scalps with.

 

While we'd prefer not to disclose the specifics of of our sponsorship fees, yearly sponsorship fees average out to approximately one moderately sized hair transplant.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[Mickey85]

Chrisdav,

 

I admire you for being forthcoming with your identity, though it wasn't really necessary. Very few are willing to provide this information, but I have deep respect for those who do.

 

You have been a member of this community for a couple of years and thus, I certainly value your input. I do hope you can see that while no system is perfect, we do our best to be as transparent as possible in prescreening and recommending only those physicians we'd trust our own scalps with.

 

While we'd prefer not to disclose the specifics of of our sponsorship fees, yearly sponsorship fees average out to approximately one moderately sized hair transplant.

Best wishes,

 

Bill

 

You guys are under-charging these Docs considering the forums reach and exposure heheh

[chrisdav]

Thanks Bill for the response as it means a great deal coming from you.

 

It is a shame that the fees aren't stated on here and out for the public to see, but it sounds like they are very similar to IAHRS.

 

Mickey and I have spoken too via PM and I know the has the best intentions at heart for this forum and I have been impressed by a lot of what he has done. I appreciate you speak on Skype and he probably knows a lot more about the screening process than I do.

 

I know Mickey keeps his cards to his chest regarding identity and his surgery, but I am out in the public like you, Spencer Kobren or anyone else.

 

A lot of this anonymous hit and run posters frustrate me because I see their disingenuous motives only too clearly and far too often, it becomes apparent that they are designed with one purpose in mind which is to cause harm and destruction which leads to it getting perpetuated by no other than anonymous posters with hearsay and rarely actual facts.

 

Thanks for listening and taking on board my opinion in a professional way.

Edited May 31, 2013 by chrisdav

[BrianR]

@BrianR:

 

This thread is about to discuss the IAHRS and other similar alliances, not your personal disagreements with anyone. So if you have to relieve yourself, please address those kind of issues in a PM, thank you.

 

This seems to be personal, I'm thinking you should have sent it to me in a PM?

[Jotronic]

A lot of this anonymous hit and run posters frustrate me because I see their disingenuous motives only too clearly and far too often, it becomes apparent that they are designed with one purpose in mind which is to cause harm and destruction which leads to it getting perpetuated by no other than anonymous posters with hearsay and rarely actual facts.

 

/\ Well said.

[Shampoo]

We all have our opinions, and I dont direct this at anyone....I am "thinking out loud" and speaking in general... but let it be known that I dont care what this wonderfully educational site charges or makes from doctors or what type of house the founders live in and the multiple ways someone could arrive in a nice house besides what they make by running a website.

 

If Bill & company didn't charge doctors they would either have to flood us with banner ads and/or charge us a subscription fee. And of course if they did those things another group of people would be complaining about that approach. In fact I would think if there was a subscription fee this site would just about cease to exist.

 

If they did post the fees...which in my opinion are none of our business.....people would probably dissect that too..."well thats too much

or that's not enough...blah blah". It's like my business, there's always a few people without a pot to piss in that have these great grand ideas about how I should do things different. Heck....quit talking....go start your own business, go start your own website.....talk/micro-managing with zero responsibility is cheap.....lets see how well your talk translates into success!

 

It all boils down to trust....gut feeling...taking the good with the bad, watching, observing, and educating yourself.

 

This site is just one tool a patient should use, but I feel this site is very well done.....and what's the price we pay to get all this great info/education/help? It's a pretty darn good deal! Hell it's FREE!

 

I bet lots of time, effort, blood, sweat and tears have gone into making this site happen. The interviews with doctors are very informative and educational. If patients watch the multiple interviews with the doctors it's pretty obvious to me that the doctors are top notch type doctors. Are there great doctors that do not participate with this site? Sure....just like there are great practitioners in almost every trade that are hidden away by not joining any organizations, or not having a website, or not advertising.

 

So ok we know the doctors pay a fee....so what? Ya want a bunch of pop-up banner ads instead? There is a local magazine that has a section called "Best Doctors in Dallas". It's very slick and well done. And yes doctors pay to take out big color fancy ads in the magazine.....do I know what the ad rates are? No...and I dont care. Is this situation 100% perfect? No....but it allows me to investigate doctors, doctor's websites, see names I want to take a look at....on some level it gets the ball rolling....but I still have to investigate myself and make the decision myself.

 

This site, Spencer's site.....maybe they are not perfect...but what is?

 

Bill and company seem very open to suggestions....in fact I made one and Bill immediately responded and made the change.

 

Hit & Run posters are kind of funny, in that they have like a total of one or two posts but they are so one agenda driven....you'd think they'd have enough sense to hide better and not make it sooooo obvious.

[Jotronic]

As a participant on both forums and a member of each organization, here are my thoughts.

 

The IAHRS and the Coalition hold great value. Do I agree with the recommendations of all the doctors in each organization? Of course not and Bill knows this because we've spoken about this issue in the past as have Spencer and I. However, overall both organizations offer something very valuable to clinics and to patients. For patients, there is a wealth of FREE information that is not besieged with banner ads as Shampoo stated but is also not so skewed in favor of any one particular clinic or technique. The majority of the information allows for a balance that is necessary in a field that otherwise would run rampant with zero accountability.

 

 

As for the lists themselves, or the organizations, I am not aware of any doctor currently in the IAHRS that performed a 12,000 graft surgery over the course of 15 days with a horrible result while also having lost his license for a year because of his addiction to narcotics. I am aware of one such doctor that had an addiction issue but I know he was removed from the list once this was discovered. In fact, if we are going to discuss the IAHRS, I can say that I know for a fact that Spencer Kobren has stood up for many patients in the back ground and helped them to get refunds from doctors (IAHRS members and non-IAHRS members alike), for shoddy work. I know because I have sent some of these patients to Spencer myself when I have been approached by these patients looking for help. Say what you will about Spencer Kobren but I know for a fact that he has helped many people behind the scenes without any effort to glamorize the issue or to capitalize on it. He is a good man.

 

As for the Coalition, it has helped to bring the quality of work that is being done today further into the mainstream and in fact has helped to shape the quality of work being done today. Anywhere you look online you can easily see some sort of influence made by the Coalition and the standards that it has helped to establish. "Ultra Refined Follicular Unit Transplantation", a term first coined by Dr. Hasson in a speech to the ISHRS many years ago, is now the term used by this site to describe the work done by the best of the best. The term is so powerful that I sometimes get phone calls by individuals asking if we perform this "procedure" because they do not realize it is a descriptive rather than a technique.

 

Both organizations and both forums offer a lot of good and it is always up to the individual to make up their own minds but make no mistake about it; both sides keep each other in check because as in any situation, if one side is the only side then information is no longer information. It is (potentially) propaganda and I am personally thankful that we have both camps in place to help the patients and to help the clinics.

[Mickey85]

Joe, the surgeon that had the narcotics issue was under the employment of a surgeon who is recommended on the IAHRS. The surgeon also had his licence suspended for a good year whilst working for the IAHRS surgeon. The IAHRS surgeon allowed that surgeon to perform the bulk of the work on unsuspecting patients. I assume we are talking about the same surgeon with the narcotics issue but PM me if you want further clarification.

[TygerD]

I know I was duped by the whole "IAHRS" moniker. To a novice which I was prior to my first hair transplant surgery, I was seeking some sort of stamp of approval from an independent source. At the end of the day it doesn't mean anything as my result proved that. It still requires due diligence on part of the patient to search for a quality and ethical surgeon who specializes in your particular hair transplant needs.

[Jotronic]

Mickey85,

 

PM sent, man. I want to know more.

[Mickey85]

Mickey85,

 

PM sent, man. I want to know more.

 

Give me a few minutes.

[Mickey85]

Mickey85,

 

PM sent, man. I want to know more.

 

Replied.

[chrisdav]

TygerD,

 

I remember reading the topic about your complaint with your surgeon which was recently locked here. I hope the problem was sorted.

 

Just to point out a fact though. Your surgeon Dr Vories is NOT currently a member of the IAHRS to my knowledge but has recently been recommended by this forum the HairTransplantNetwork.

 

I am guessing you are confusing the ISHRS with the IAHRS. They are two different organisations altogether.

 

Again, this is exactly what I was discussing early and another prime example of how false information is allowed to be perpetuated in these type of threads.

 

I am sure someone else would have clarified this point but it is important to note to all readers that TygerD could not have been "DUPED" by the whole "IAHRS moniker" since his Dr is NOT even in the IAHRS.

[Bill - Seemiller]

Again, this is exactly what I was discussing early and another prime example of how false information is allowed to be perpetuated in these type of threads.

 

Chrisdav,

 

"False information" if brought to our attention is not "allowed to be perpetuated" in forum topiocs. Your statement implies that we purposely allow false information.

 

The reality is, given the realtime nature and popularity of this discussion forum, it's impossible to verify the accuracy of all posts. However, any party is always welcome and encouraged to reply to any post/topic they are concerned about. All of this is covered in our terms of service.

 

That said, I appreciate you adding your input in reply to TygerD's post.

 

Best,

 

Bill

[Bill - Seemiller]

It appears that "JingleAlltheWay" created this topic and then disappeared. Thus, I'm inclined to agree with those who've referred to him as a "hit and run" poster with disingenuous motives.

 

I appreciate everyone's input on this topic. However, now that everyone's had a chance to provide their input, I think it's time to move on.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill