Doctors who charge for consults.

[frankwhite]

Hi all,

I'm a long time reader of this - and other - hairloss forums and wondered what the community thinks of the practice of doctors that charge for consults?

As a bit of background, Ive had several consults with 4 different highly regarded doctors - None of whom are resident, nor practice, in the UK - all of whom travelled here at their own expense to hold FREE consultations with prospective patients.

Today, I was about to book a final consult with a doctor recommended on here - who practices in London - who actually wanted me to pay for a consult.

I declined and Immediately crossed him off of my list of potential surgeons.

To me, It doesn't bode well that they would ask for money just to see me and discuss my options etc.

What do you guys think - am I right to be suspicious of such practices as an indicator of their primary motivations?

[VegetasWidowsPeak]

Don't suppose that Doctor was Dr Reddy was it?

[KO]

I know Farjo and Bernstein charge, depends on the clinic I guess.

[Cant decide]

Usually if you go with that doc, the consult fee goes toward the cost of the procedure. I still think it's BS UNLESS the consult includes some high level scalp examination and truly takes a full educational hour.

[zx_toth]

Usually if you go with that doc, the consult fee goes toward the cost of the procedure. I still think it's BS UNLESS the consult includes some high level scalp examination and truly takes a full educational hour.

 

I agree - if they do in depth scalp examination to look at areas of miniaturization and spend a decent amount of time with you and doing education. However if it is a 'wham, bam, thank you ma'am type thing it should be free. For example, car dealers don't charge you for going through the dealership and talking to you about your car options.

[Spanker]

I agree with the above. If you actually map the scalp, charge. If you don't, it should be a free consult. Just my opinion.

[BUSA]

I disagree. time is money and I don't work for free so why shud they? if u go see an attorney about advice u need he will charge you for his time cause his advice is professional and his professional advice is worthy. just as a HT doctors advice wud be. cause thats wat ur gettn is advice and direction.

 

if you go to any top plastic surgeon in the NY City area where I reside they will almost always charge a consultation fee.

 

lotta dreamers out there that don't want to do their own research on the forums like we all have for a very long time. decade and a half for me personally but some just want to go to the doctor to pick their brain and have absolutely zero intention of havn a HT cause their broke ass can't afford it.

 

you have to account for these ppl as well so again time is money and their time is not free nor shud it be. most all will deduct the $100 or watever it is from the procedure if u elect to have it so if ur serious about a HT then u shud hav no problem coughing up the consultation fee. if ur not serious then u shud hav to pay for professional advice.

[frankwhite]

You completely misunderstood my point busa.

It's not about being able to afford to pay for it or not having done research ( what a ridiculous suggestion to make) but about the fact that this doctor charges for consults ,when others in the same field do not .

What does that say about his priorities?

And in England one does not pay for an initial consultation with a lawyer (or an accountant,or a plumber or Any other profession that I can think of) - its the same principal as with a hair transplant surgeon. You consult with these people to see if they can professionally fulfill your requirements - you tell them what you need,they tell you if they can do that and how they might achieve it. If you are happy with their level of competence and knowledge,you instruct them and THEN they get paid.

I've personally consulted with Dr.Armani,Dr.Mwamba & Dr.Bisanga - all world class surgeons with longstanding reputations - and NONE of them charged...

[Blake Bloxham]

I can't speak for all hair transplant doctors, but I know a few who started to charge for consults because the request for consultations was unmanageable before. These doctors said they were getting an unsustainable amount of consultations when they were free of change. It was affecting their ability to actually perform procedures on their patients.

 

What's more, many of these potential consults weren't serious about surgery. It's always nice to sit down and help these patients out. In fact, it's my favorite part of my current job! However, it isn't a sustainable model.

 

By charging a small fee for consultations, these doctors were able to get the volume under control and consult with patients who were further along the process and truly ready for the consultation.

[frankwhite]

I can't speak for all hair transplant doctors, but I know a few who started to charge for consults because the request for consultations was unmanageable before. These doctors said they were getting an unsustainable amount of consultations when they were free of change. It was affecting their ability to actually perform procedures on their patients.

 

What's more, many of these potential consults weren't serious about surgery. It's always nice to sit down and help these patients out. In fact, it's my favorite part of my current job! However, it isn't a sustainable model.

 

By charging a small fee for consultations, these doctors were able to get the volume under control and consult with patients who were further along the process and truly ready for the consultation.

 

Specifically, which doctors are you referring to that did not initially charge for consults but now do?

[Maneesh]

All Doctors do not charge for advice and some trusted hair transplant offering clinics offer the surgery, under the guidance of best cosmetic surgeons at reasonable rates. Prem Cosmetic Surgery Clinic being one of the trusted place for hair transplant offers discounts too.

[matt3480]

Interesting, never thought docs charged for a consultation.....but it makes sense why they would. I think it helps to have someone in the office (other than the doctor) pre-screen the apps to gauge interest and whether they are a candidate.

[pkipling]

I can understand both sides of the issue, but Blake hit on a good point. In a sense, it's a way for the doctors to weed out a lot of the guys who aren't serious about actually even getting a hair transplant, which frees up more time and resources for the doctors to dedicate to those of us who are serious about it. When something is "free" people come out of the woodworks to get in on it, so if it's a smaller practice that doesn't have the resources to handle this, then it makes sense to charge for the consultation - especially if the surgeon himself is the one doing the in-depth consultation. And in the grand scheme of HT costs, the standard $100 fee is extremely minimal - not to mention that it goes towards the cost of the treatment should you decide to follow through with it with that surgeon.

 

Ultimately, you're paying for their time and expertise. I paid the fee with Dr. Mohebi when I met with him, and given the amount of time he spent educating me on the process, evaluating my hairline, hair, and scalp, and going over all my options, etc., I never once felt rushed, and thus, I never once felt cheated. Even if I hadn't followed through with my surgery with him and had my fee placed towards my procedure, it was still money extremely well spent.

 

I don't believe there's a "right" or "wrong" approach to this. Each surgeon has to do what is best for their practice and business, and it ultimately wouldn't even be a factor for me in deciding which surgeon to choose. There are lots of bad surgeons who give free consultations and lots of great ones who charge.

[BUSA]

All Doctors do not charge for advice and some trusted hair transplant offering clinics offer the surgery, under the guidance of best cosmetic surgeons at reasonable rates. Prem Cosmetic Surgery Clinic being one of the trusted place for hair transplant offers discounts too.

that made me LOL..... Prem cosmetic surgery? lets all run to that clinic smh. beat feet scammer!