Persana Offers You Direct Entry to “Invite-Solely” Plastic Surgeons and Dermatologists—So Why the Controversy?

By credentialing docs for us, eradicating the customary gatekeepers (receptionists, medical assistants), and shrinking wait instances, Persana lets aesthetic treatment-seekers skip straight to the nice half: the session.

The vetting course of

If I’m being sincere, once I first heard about Persana and the heavy hitters concerned—Drs. Ben Talei, Mike Nayak, Rod Rohrich, Kami Parsa, Man Massry, Mary Lupo, Michelle Henry, Doris Day—it felt a bit cliquey in a cool-kids’ desk, you-can’t-sit-with-us kind of manner. All pretty people, in my expertise, however as a collective? Formidable.

When influential docs refer sufferers to their equally influential friends, are they offering a useful medical service, pumping up every others’ practices—or a bit little bit of each? In equity, a few of these docs do have private relationships offline. And it’s common for them to refer sufferers forwards and backwards. Dr. Henry maintains that suggestions from revered docs are “very best,” and believes that Persana can “assist sufferers lower by means of the misleading social-media advertising that always steers them within the improper path when making choices about aesthetic physicians.”

Once I ask Dr. Azizzadeh about Persana’s vetting requirements, he intuitively addresses the elephant within the room: “We didn’t need this to only be a bunch of pals [vouching for each other], so the vetting course of has a whole lot of objectivity.”

Earlier than inviting a doctor into the community, the Persana advisory board, which incorporates among the names listed above, authenticates their medical license and board-certification standing. (Docs should be board licensed in a related specialty: dermatology, cosmetic surgery, otolaryngology with fellowship coaching in facial cosmetic surgery, or ophthalmology with fellowship coaching in oculoplastic surgical procedure. Hair restoration surgeons should be boarded in one of many aforementioned core specialties and belong to both the Worldwide or American Society of Hair Restoration Surgical procedure.) Persana’s board additionally assesses every physician’s on-line popularity (through their web site, affected person opinions, and social platforms) and “confirms they’re in good standing, with none current or main malpractice actions,” Dr. Azizzadeh provides.

Whereas there’s arguably some inherent bias on this—and each vetting system carried out by people—the background verify goals to save lots of us some legwork. In any case, who higher than a physician (or panel of them) to identify the cracks in one other MD’s facade? They know the subtleties of coaching, licensing, certification, analysis, and outcomes. They know the place to search for potential skeletons. (Nonetheless, it’s sensible to do your personal homework earlier than absolutely committing to a doctor.)