A Mission to Deliver the Highest Quality Patient Care and Experience in Dermatology and Aesthetic Services
As Published in North America Outlook
Callam Waller & Lucy Pilgrim
Published Jan 15 2024
A cornerstone of the company’s founding mission, Advanced Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery utilizes a relationship-based care model between patient and clinician to deliver premier healthcare.
THE POWER OF A PATIENT-CENTRIC APPROACH
Over the last decade, the dermatology industry in North America has significantly grown. This stems from an increasing awareness of the importance of skin health, and as the global population ages, there is a correlative uptake in the need for dermatologic care.
In addition, people of all ages are aware of solutions that address skin issues as we get older, with more and more addressing those problems at a younger age. With increasing options, they want to turn to a trusted practice.
Looking to the next 10 years, the need for quality dermatologic care and advanced non-invasive aesthetic services continues to grow.
“The way we deliver this continues to evolve. Ongoing research has led to the development of new treatments and therapies to address skin issues more effectively,” opens Dr. Matt Leavitt, Founder and Executive Chairman of Advanced Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery (Advanced Dermatology).
“Part of the company’s evolution is its focus on value-based care – we prioritize educating our patients to focus on prevention and early detection.”
The aesthetics dermatology sector is also increasingly sought after, particularly cosmetic procedures such as BOTOX® Cosmetic, dermal fillers, chemical peels, and laser and energy treatments, which have all seen steady growth in recent years.
However, there is a limited availability of practicing providers who can meet the increasing demand, especially in certain geographies. This is compounded by widespread labor shortages in healthcare.
Fortunately, Advanced Dermatology has a substantial portfolio, expansive presence, and significant manpower to cater to the increased patient requirements. As one of North America’s premier dermatology practices, the company operates across more than 150 offices in 14 states, with a comprehensive team of more than 400 clinicians and 2,000 total employees.
As such, Advanced Dermatology has a commitment that is instilled in each team member to provide the highest quality care in dermatology and aesthetic services.
RELATIONSHIP-BASED CARE
Advanced Dermatology was first established in 1989 by Dr. Leavitt, who envisioned becoming a leader in the field. From the company’s inception, he understood that the organization’s success would be built on making patient care and clinician excellence the primary pillars of its success.
From this, the practice’s mission was clear – to deliver the highest quality patient care and experience in dermatology and aesthetic services.
As a result, the company has become an industry leader in treating patients for common and complex skin, hair, and nail conditions, providing critical, advanced skin cancer treatments, and using some of the most sought-after therapies available to reduce the impacts of age and the environment.
“We offer a wide array of non-invasive and non-surgical cosmetic and anti-aging treatment options, which are on the cutting edge of clinical research. Meanwhile, our dermatopathology labs provide high-quality, advanced diagnostic services,” Dr. Leavitt details.
The key to Advanced Dermatology’s expertise is its patient-centered healthcare, built upon a state-of-the-art, relationship-based care model.
“By building and maintaining positive and collaborative relationships between patients, clinicians, and clinical staff, we improve the overall quality of care by concentrating on the patient’s unique needs and preferences,” he adds.
As part of the model, the practice likewise focuses on the patient experience and closely tracks patient satisfaction via quality metrics to ensure that it provides the best possible care.
To further this, Advanced Dermatology fosters and nurtures relationships with primary care physicians (PCPs), who provide education about skin health, chronic conditions, preventative measures, and the early detection of skin cancer.
LEVERAGING LEADING PHYSICIANS
In concordance with its relationship-based model, the company also has a physician-led focus, stemming from its founding mission in which it was built from the ground up with patients at the center. So much so, that today, Dr. Leavitt still serves as the Executive Chairman.
Consequently, Advanced Dermatology prides itself on being physician-led, as its Medical Executive Committee leaders play a critical role in the company, advocating for state-of-the-art patient care and clinician engagement.
The committee is led by Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Mark Kaufmann, and comprises both region-specific and service-specific leaders, including representatives for aesthetics services, pathology, and Mohs surgery, bringing to the table an abundance of knowledge and understanding.
“As a physician-led organization, our staff provide direction, oversight, focus, and leadership regarding all aspects of clinical services and make recommendations for initiatives to continuously improve quality,” Dr. Kaufmann highlights.
Furthermore, Advanced Dermatology’s management teams and regional operators are focused on providing administrative support for clinicians, which allows team members to dedicate their time and energy to delivering premier care.
To further its clinician expertise, the company is committed to providing continuous education opportunities for both clinicians and residents.
Both Dr. Leavitt and Dr. Kaufmann, as part of Advanced Dermatology, have partnered with Derm Squared, an industry-leading education platform. Together, the two companies host quarterly advanced therapeutics update events exclusive to Advanced Dermatology’s clinicians, where they can receive the most up-to-date clinical care education with world-class leaders and earn continuing medical education credits.
Additionally, Advanced Dermatology offers an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accredited dermatology residency program designed to provide the clinical experience, educational resources, and mentorship support that produces exceptional dermatologists who engage in the ethical and compassionate practice of medicine.
The company also offers a comprehensive Physician Assistant and Nurse Practitioner Training Program, which provides didactic, clinical, and procedural training. This includes direct patient care led by board-certified dermatologists in a supervised, structured environment, as well as sub-specialty training areas, such as Mohs surgery.
“We standardize baseline clinical competencies to help ensure the best possible patient care and experience. We have successfully graduated over 70 advanced practitioners who have gone on to work in our clinics across the organization,” Dr. Kaufmann tells us.
BEST-IN-FIELD TECHNOLOGY
More recently, Advanced Dermatology has focused on identifying and implementing technology solutions and automation to drive better patient care, lower costs, and a high return on investment.
The solutions include patient reminder automation, online booking, and web chat, which have improved patient communication and the overall experience. Moreover, the automation of faxes, voicemails, insurance verification, and calling campaigns, as well as call center artificial intelligence (AI), have streamlined clinical operations.
"We are set on keeping up with technology changes in healthcare. One example is the implementation of check in kiosks within our clinics for a more efficient process.
“Our operations dashboard has transformed our ability to manage day-to-day operations, while our clinics hold high-level and detailed information that is consumable by all field-level teams,” CEO, Brian Griffin outlines.
Given the size of the practice, Advanced Dermatology has also centralized administrative tasks for back office and surgery scheduling.
The company’s technological expertise proved vital in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, becoming agile in providing telehealth across its practices, which allowed patients to consult with dermatologists remotely.
On top of this, Advanced Dermatology has recently pursued licensure to deliver virtual care in additional states, to meet and stay up to date with the needs of innovative, national care provider groups and accountable care organizations.
“With this ability to deliver care virtually across most of the country, we continue to pursue partnerships with retail health providers, accountable care organizations, payers, and risk-bearing providers to operate as the preferred dermatology network,” comments James Philbin, Chief Development Officer.
“Our operations dashboard has transformed our ability to manage day-to-day operations, while our clinics hold high-level and detailed information that is consumable by all field-level teams”
Brian Griffin, CEO, Advanced Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery
SUPPORTING STAFF AND THE COMMUNITY
The company prides itself on caring deeply for both its team base and local communities. Regarding the former, it is laser-focused on employee engagement and retention.
“Employee satisfaction matters from day one, and we provide our teams with onboarding resources and comprehensive training to set them up for success,” Griffin affirms.
In support of its team, the company established the Advanced Dermatology Hardship to Hope Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, to provide short-term financial assistance to employees and eligible dependents who encounter financial hardship due to an unanticipated crisis or catastrophic circumstances.
The foundation has already had a positive impact on hundreds of Advanced Dermatology employees, most recently assisting team members affected by Hurricane Ian, in which the charity paid $92,000 to grant recipients.
Regarding the company’s corporate citizenry, Advanced Dermatology also provides free skin cancer screenings in the local community and leads in-person and virtual events to educate people on the importance of skin cancer prevention and early detection.
Meanwhile, the practice is consistently identifying how cosmetic dermatology is evolving to ensure that it has the best approach to treat its patients. This is evidenced by its investment in the latest devices, including CoolPeel®, Venus Versa®, and Hydrafacial™, while expanding into new injectables. The practice offers a wide range of treatments and skincare products, including its proprietary Proscriptix® FX skin care and hair care line.
“We will continue to adapt as new treatments emerge and patient needs evolve. Our aesthetics clinical leadership team reviews our services portfolio, clinical standards, and practices, and identifies pre- and post-care regimens to improve outcomes,” Griffin says.
Advanced Dermatology also works with a multitude of healthcare and cosmetic companies to stay on top of the latest advances in both medical and cosmetic dermatology to ensure it is leveraging the latest research and clinical studies to identify advanced treatments and ensure the best patient outcomes.
Advanced Dermatology provides a holistic approach to skin health, addressing both medical and aesthetic concerns. Coupled with a patient-centric focus and best-in-field physicians, the company looks forward to greater success.
ADVANCED DERMATOLOGY AND COSMETIC SURGERY PARTNERS FOR THIS ARTICLE
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