ABSTRACT
The paragraphs below describe the types of “red flag patients” which one can encounter in the office.
“WHERE CAN I GET IT DONE THE CHEAPEST?”—THE BARGAIN HUNTER Bargain hunters are people who are continually moving from doctor to doctor or calling practices trying to find the absolute best price. They are incorrectly paying attention to the cost of the procedure and not focusing on the outcome. These patients can be like a ping pong ball, going from place to place or spending hours on the phone or internet. They are frequently unhappy because they are seeking treatment from non-experts in the field, oftentimes encountering physicians outside of the non-core specialties. These physicians, in turn, are trying to lure patients to their practice using price as a motivator. They frequently do so by, for example, using less botulinum toxin units than that may be required, thus reducing their cost. Obviously the patient is not going to get as desirable a result when they are undertreated. Bargain hunters can be avoided by establishing a reasonable price for the correct therapeutic regimen. Many times they are treated by non-physicians.
