Rural, Suburban Primary Care on the Cutting Edge?!

I received an interesting letter size envelope in the mail today, with an abstract graphic on the return label.

The sender was "Lasting Impressions Aesthetic Center, Leonardtown, MD."

Since the information originated from my old home town, I opened the letter rather than placing it in the circular file. I'm glad I did. Seems some providers are catching on to the idea of conspicuous consumption and how it relates to service line expansion.

Inside was this letter from my former PCPs office (although now I'm considering driving the 1.5 hours each way to stay on their active roster).

I'm taking a page out of Paul Levy's book and relating the contents en total:


Dear Mrs. McCabe Gorman,

There have been exciting new developments with St. Clements Medical Care and Chesapeake Family Healthcare. We have recently expanded our services to include laser treatments and aesthetic care. You are already familiar with how our quality medical care keeps you feeling your best; now trust our physicians and providers to assist you in looking your best.

Your experience will begin with the confidence of knowing your service is being performed by a medical professional. Our Gemini Laser utilizes state of the art technology to ensure gently, effective treatment. Enjoy relaxing in a comfortable atmosphere while the laser continually cools and precisely targets your problem areas. Our laser can treat acne, leg veins, brown spots, facial redness, rosacea, wrinkles, shaving bumps, and unwanted hair (Blogger's aside: Why didn't they call it the "Eureka! Laser?").

We have also had successful results with aesthetic injectables over the past year. Our office offers Restylane and Cosmoderm, which are dermal fillers for the temporary correction of wrinkles, folds and scars. We also offer Botox injections for relaxing wrinkle-producing facial muscles. Revaleskin, a line of skin care products which have been featured in Shape and Allure magazines and are only available through medical professionals, will be available for sale at great introductory rates, along with other quality skin products.

If you have ever thought about doing something for yourself (Blogger's aside: And really, who hasn't? What's next? PCP gift cards for a little pre-New Year's Botox?)we encourage you to call Lasting Impressions Aesthetic Center at 301.997.1562. Although there are variations among individuals, what we are offering is faster, easier, less painful and more effective than almost anything else available. The technology has moved a long way {sic} in the last few years. Call us today for your personal consultation with your favorite medical professional. If you call before October 1, 2007, you will receive a free consultation and a low introductory price for your services (Blogger's aside: I may have to try this just to see if the services live up to the hype...and, um, I could really use a facial...).

We would also like to invite you to attend our OPEN HOUSE on September 29, 2007, from 1:00 to 4:00 PM, at the above address. Enjoy refreshments, receive a sample of Revaleskin products, view a laser demonstration DVD (Yowza!), and meet the providers performing the laser procedures to ask questions of what we can do for your Lasting Impressions. Find out how we can help define your own lasting impression.

We look forward to working with you!

Sincerely,

Dr. Jennifer Schmidt, DO
Dr. Mia Finkelston, MD
Dr. Karen Tucker, MD
Jennifer Cheeseman, PA- C (went to high school with Jennifer)
Marie Tarleton, CRNP (one of the best practitioners I've ever met)



I have to admit I'm excessively curious to hear how my doc's office came up with this plan...and even more curious about how well the center will do. I'm betting it becomes their top revenue generating service line within the next 16 months.

It's a good reminder that sometimes industry chatter is exactly that - chatter. There's no doubt PCPs are in trouble in many areas, but these ladies seem to be doing just fine. Their letter sure made a lasting impression on me.