Trend: PCPs offering cosmetic procedures

If you're a primary care physician, and you're sick of getting your clock cleaned on procedures with narrow profit margins, what do you do?  Well, for some, the answer is to begin offering higher-margin cosmetic procedures that don't involve insurance companies at all. 

While laser treatments, liposuction and Botox may not have been why a PCP went to school, they do generate good cash flow, without anyone's having to file a claim. And it's a change of pace for harried physicians tired of the pace they're keeping these days. What's more, the demand for such procedures is high.

While there's no firm numbers on how many PCPs are taking this step, it's clear many are interested. The American Academy of Family Physicians, for example, is offering 10 continuing ED courses on cosmetic procedures. The courses are thronged, and some have waiting lists, AAFP officials say.

To find out more about this trend:
- read this piece [1] from The Times-Picayune

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Study: Primary care costs, reimbursement low. Report [3]
White paper: Building Teams in Primary Care: Lessons from 15 Case Studies. Report [4]
SPOTLIGHT: Upping pay for primary care. Report [5]