Introducing the Concierge Package: Same Award-Winning Care, Now with VIP Perks

Monique Ramsey (00:02):
Welcome everyone to La Jolla Cosmetic Surgery Center podcast. I'm your hostess, Monique Ramsey, and today I have Dr. Hector Salazar with me, and we're going to talk about a brand new program. So here at La Jolla Cosmetic, we know your journey is really personal and every step matters throughout that journey. And so we have come up with two paths for your surgical experience and that's what we're going to talk about today. So the signature experience, which is what we're known for for 36 years in our five star care, that's our signature experience. But we also know that some people might want a different, maybe more elevated experience. So we're calling it the concierge package. And so think of it in a way like business class and first class. Like we're never coach here at La Jolla Cosmetic. We are, it's going to be an amazing experience. You're going to get to your destination, but then if you want more than business class, you can have first class. And so always a cut above and no matter what you choose, our award-winning care and commitment to your wellbeing and your journey remain the same. So Dr. Salazar, welcome.

Dr. Salazar (01:15):
Thanks so much, Monique. And I'm very, very excited about our conversation today because we normally talk about safety, we talk about different techniques, but now we're going to be talking about the fact that patients can actually go from point A to point B in a much more elevated experience. And I think that we are at La Jolla Cosmetic, all the team, all the physicians, all the nurses, everybody, all the staff. We're very, very excited because we are good at providing amazing experiences for our patients. And as we are preparing for the launch of these new experiences, we were all very excited patients are going to be even happier than what they already are.

Monique Ramsey (02:04):
Well, and you're known, and I think all of our doctors are, but anybody who's met you or had surgery with you knows how dedicated you are to that handholding and support every step of the way. And that's not going to change at all. But sometimes we want to have a little more plush experience so that VIP level care. And so you can heal in absolute comfort and confidence. And so let's talk about first that signature L-J-C-S-C experience, the five star care that we've been giving for 36 years, and that's not going to change. And so tell me, Dr. Salazar, what's special about the care we provide and the added value that you get just by choosing La Jolla Cosmetic without even having to pay for an elevated experience?

Dr. Salazar (02:51):
Well, I mean, what you have is the backup of 36 years of the practice as a group. We have been continuously providing plastic surgery, cosmetic services to our patients for 36 years. In terms of, we like to break it into three different aspects. And I'm going to be using the material that we have to share with you and with your audience. For instance, the medical expertise in care. So if we start just by saying that when you come to La Jolla Cosmetic, we dedicate all the time that we need to dedicate until we know and understand what the goals of the patient is, what those goals are. And I feel that spending time, quality time with patients is really, really important. So the goals and the services that we're providing are well lined up. So with us, with our signature experience, all patients, they have a one hour medical doctor, one hour plastic surgeon consultation.

(04:04):
Then after that happens, and if it needs to be extended, you know how it is, Monique, sometimes we spend even more time with our patients, but at least, and it's important for patients also to block enough time because we're going to be having that nice conversation for a long time. So all patients get that. All patients also have a pre-op appointment with a nurse after that first visit. So if there are still any questions, things can be answered during that office visit. Also, they're going to learn how to nest and how to prepare for their surgery. So that's a one hour pre-up appointment with a nurse. Then their care in preparation for surgery, it's individualized. So some patients will need some labs and that's included. Some patients might need an EKG and that's also included. So it's a one stop for them. So they are preparing for their surgery, we're not sending them here and there to go and get different things.

(05:02):
Then as we follow them up, then we will follow them for six months after their surgery. I mean, you know that the standard for surgical follow-up, it's three months. So we normally by default give them double the amount of time for unlimited visits without having any charge. And at that point, at six months, sometimes a little tweak needs to be done, it's not that common, but sometimes a little portion of the scar can be revised or can be improved. And we have that revision policy that's included with their surgery and which patients might need to just pay for the materials or if that involves an anesthesiologist that needs to happen. But basically that revision policy, it's good for six months. Then the other division is the technology and access. So patients have access to an educational video library.

(06:04):
They have access to all of the materials that we have online. They also have access to TouchMD. And TouchMD, they're going to be able to see their before and after pictures. They can actually also see some of the before and after pictures of some patients that have consented for their before and after surgery to be shown to other potential patients. And it gets even better. Patients that are undergoing like a rhinoplasty or patients that are undergoing breast augmentation, they can see a simulated result of their surgery. And all of these things, as you know, Monique, they're instruments for us to better communicate with patients. But all that as it represents a large investment for our practice to have all that technology available and current, and we give it to all of our signature patients for them to be better prepared for their surgery. Now the third division is where the comfort and recovery comes in.

(07:06):
So comfort and recovery, all the patients, as I was mentioning to you, they're going to be coming to one location, everything except for medications that they can get them at their pharmacy of preference, but they're going to be one stop place for everything. Even their post-surgical garments, we get them for our patients, we always provide up to two garments per surgery that they're having. They also have the before and after the pre and post Alastin skincare, which is top of the line. And all of our patients have been getting that and will continue to get that package. And that improves their recovery tremendously. They also, they become part of the family. So they have one year GKAMfam, they have access to our program and you're an expert on that as you're one of the founders on that program. So patients are, I mean that's exciting because those are good news for them as they can have access to surgery at a lower cost, they can also visit our different med spas and also be pampered there. So this is our signature, that's who we are, all that. And depending of course, different surgeries, different things. I mean if you talk about facial surgery versus breast, versus body, versus other, like liposuction, et cetera, there are all the different surgeries will have little tweaks here and there. But it's really exciting to actually put on paper what is our secret sauce, what are the ingredients that we use and that's who we are.

Monique Ramsey (08:46):
Well, and I think to your point of what we've been doing for 36 years. So I just literally write the second, pulled up the website, it gets updated daily on the homepage of how many reviews we have. Five star reviews, you see them, you read them. There was one from two days ago and about Dr. Riedler and you can see, so we have 6,218 verified plastic surgery patient reviews, and at a 96% patient satisfaction, 4.8 out of five stars. And that's without ever having this elevated experience we're going to go into. So as of today, we've had 5,100, almost 5,205 five star reviews. So I think that's really just our signature or the bread and butter or the secret sauce, just like you're saying of who we are. And that's not going to change.

Dr. Salazar (09:38):
Yeah, that's our branded care, I say. It's our brand.

Monique Ramsey (09:43):
So now we're going to dive into the concierge experience and I think everybody thinks about the concierge at the hotel and is going to give them access to some secret like amazing restaurant or a wonderful day trip excursion. So same idea here is that we're going to bump it up a little bit. And so let's talk about what's included in that and what might change depending on your procedure, because obviously a rhinoplasty or a chin implant's going to be different than a mommy makeover, might be different than a tummy tuck. So let's dive into that and tell us a little bit about some of the highlights of that VIP concierge experience.

Dr. Salazar (10:26):
Perfect. And also just to give you here a little disclosure here, we're not going to ruin some of the surprises that we will have for our patients because there are some surprises included. But in general, for those that they want to be pampered in a higher way, for those who want to include and boost their care in a really, really nice way, we are going to have that option. And we like to break it as well into, let's do three different areas. So VIP convenience, patients that sign up for this program, they will have direct access to the cell phone of their plastic surgeon so that immediately patients, they're always welcome to contact our office, our nursing staff, our physicians through the answering service, and that's how we've been doing it throughout the years. But in this package, patients will have that direct access. You can text, you can send a picture directly to your plastic surgeon.

(11:31):
Also, as you know, because planning for your surgery, it's not easy for patients in terms of you have to block some days you have to have even some patients that are traveling from out of town or you live here in San Diego, but you want your sister to come and help you. So scheduling your surgery, if you are part of the concierge experience, you're going to have a preferred scheduling. This wouldn't be a VIP experience if we wouldn't provide parking for you, and as a matter of fact not only parking, we would be providing a valet parking. So just as you know, we are like when you drive in to that a cul-de-sac that's in front of our office. Literally for those patients that are considering becoming part of the family, we're on the first floor, very, very convenient. Patients will drop their car at the valet parking, literally walk through the doors of the building and then open the door of La Jolla Cosmetic, and we'll going to be waiting for them right there. And in addition to that, we have the option for a private entrance on post update one for those patients. Different area comfort and recovery.

(12:40):
What we are going to do is for those patients, we will start with a jumpstart recovery. So while they're, while they're recovering and basically waking up from surgery, they are getting a vitamin infusion through their IV. Also, all of our patients will get a seven day supplement of Juven, which is an oral form of nutrition supplement, again, oriented for better recovery. And then as we want patients to heal faster, another way to boost your experience to decrease the amount of swelling and to basically expedite your overall healing process is lymphatic massage. So we are going to include four lymphatic massages for the patients that opt for our concierge route. In terms of the medical expertise and extended care, as you know, we are with our signature package, we're at six months, and with our concierge package, we are extending this up to a year so you don't have to pay for any of your additional visits.

(13:53):
Then after that year for certain surgeries, for instance, if you had breast implants placed or a breast lift with an implant, the recommendation is to follow up with your plastic surgeon on a yearly basis. And so what we will do for those patients is that in a period of five years, they can come back for that yearly basis visit. And we will also include something that has a lot of value. And this is the FDA recommends that you either get an MRI or a high definition ultrasound three years after your breast implants have been placed, make sure that they're intact. So in that case, what we are doing for this patients is we are including in a five year period, three breast ultrasounds without any charge. So basically for the first five years, they're going to be, they have peace of mind that their implants are well watched and they don't have to be worried at all. Peace of mind for full five years.

(15:09):
And now what other things we can do? Well, we have a scar minimization program in which if patients need for their scars, some injections. As you know, there are sometimes if the scar becomes a little bit hypertrophic or keloidal, a little aggressive or exuberant scar, you require some injections, some injections of Kenolog, some injections of 5FU depending on the nature and the timing. And those injections are around $150 per injection. So if you need two or three sessions, then you can start doing the math. And of course with the concierge experience, all of those injections will be included for the first year. And then the revision policy that we talked about, now that we're talking about scars, if some of those scars need to be tweaked or they need to be improved, then you have up to 12 months in case anything needs to be corrected and it's also going to be included. So as you can see, it's not only about the experience per se, because experience is going to be beyond, it's going to be fantastic. You'll see, I mean, when patients come in the day of surgery, it's going to feel that first class experience. They're going to feel that concierge service that we provide. But also it's about you're boosting your care for a longer time. And not only that, having in certain cases, certain surgeries, a peace of mind for a certain period of time and all that can only make our patients happier.

Monique Ramsey (16:50):
Yeah, I think for the people who are, if you're a worrier, because we all know one, even if you're not one, but we all know a worrier, and sometimes it's just that extra peace of mind. It was like, did you buy the flight insurance? Because what might happen? What might go wrong? And you add on that little extra bit so that if something out of your control goes wrong, you've got that insurance. So that peace of mind, I think people can relate to that. All the comfort parts and the pampering parts are great, but if you're worried, you've got the surgeon's cell phone number. If you're worried about want to have more visits for a longer period of time, you've got that. And I love the fact that for the patients who want the lymphatic drainage to help their body sort of jump, it kind of does jumpstart. You can do 'em ahead, but you should do 'em afterwards. They're really, you feel so much better when you've had one. You really, it's a wonderful thing. And tell us about some of the things that people, let's say a patient decides she's not going to do the concierge experience, but maybe she has a special request about having surgery on a weekend, or tell me a little bit about some of the upgrades people can do.

Dr. Salazar (18:17):
Well, patients can opt for a doctor's visit at home the first day after surgery, or if they're staying at a hotel, they can opt in for that option. It'll have an extra cost, which is understandable, but patients will have the comfort that they don't have to drive, that they don't have to leave their houses. I mean, this is separate from the concierge experience. If you opt for the concierge experience, you can still add this on. Or if you did not, you can still add this on and have that first post-op day surgery, one visit at home. Of course, we establish a radius of action when patients, what they can do is when they talk to our coordinators, they can see if they qualify for that radius, which is taken into account from our office and to make sure that it's doable. We couldn't promise a post update one visit in Temecula or Phoenix or Yuma Exactly.

(19:20):
But it's something that they can explore with their coordinator. And then another one is considering having surgery on a Saturday or even on a Sunday. So I think we're very excited about this option as well, because I think many patients, we expect to opt for one of these new services that we're offering or options that we're offering because it's very convenient for patients not to have to miss a workday if they're going to be missing already the rest of the following week because they're out and they just want to accommodate on a Saturday, they can do that absolutely. Sunday, a little bit the same way that patients sometimes need to travel or need to have a surgery, let's say I have 15 days for recovering and I need to go back to work at a certain day. Well, Sunday could be a good option.

Monique Ramsey (20:15):
And now I know doctors don't like to talk about prices, but I'm going to ask you anyway. So if somebody decides to add the concierge package onto their quote, how much does it increase the overall quote? And I know it probably depends on procedure, right?

Dr. Salazar (20:33):
Correct. No, that's a good question. I think in modern times, I feel that economics are very important. We wanted to offer all this boosts and perks and services in a way that patients can actually see the advantage and be able to do it to pull the trigger. So if you can compare just for us to compare to a different industry, if you are going and you're staying at a hotel, let's say a luxurious hotel, and you want to go from the regular room to the suite, then your price is almost doubling up. If you're flying and you go from coach to business class, you better be ready to pay 200% or more for your ticket. God forbid if you're considering to go first class, sometimes it's even five, times five for the regular coach ticket.

(21:37):
So in our case, we are not doubling the price by any means. What we are doing is actually it's around 20% extra. So whatever the quote and whatever the different procedure is, and patients will be able to talk to a coordinator about it, you're boosting your experience tremendously. And not only that, remember the overall care that you're getting for the amount of time that is being provided, extending that. So it is really, really worth it. And for only a fraction of the pricing, just to give you, and I know that our team of coordinators will have this very clearly for our patients. If you were to buy the services, all that patients are going to receive over time, remember that we were talking about, for instance, the ultrasounds and the additional visits and some of the injections. And if you can see the value, because if you add up all those services, you're paying less than 50% than if you would be paying those services a la carte or getting them one by one.

(22:57):
So from any standpoint that you see it, it's really advantageous. I mean, you get a better experience, you extend your amount of care, you extend that, as you were saying, that insurance for extending your revision policy from all different experiences. You don't have to worry about parking. You just come in and then you leave your car. Once you're able to drive, of course the first visit or second visit, patients require some assistance. But after that, then all your visits are going to be right, dropping your car at the valet parking and all that is included, and your visits for follow up at a year is going to be included. And you don't have to pay anything. If you have an implant, your ultrasound's going to be included, and it's for a very, very low fraction of the real cost of individual if you're paying individually and or only 20% additional.

Monique Ramsey (24:01):
Yeah. Now, how did the idea for the concierge package come about and what went into deciding what to include?

Dr. Salazar (24:11):
Well, I would say that it's something that we are seeing more and more frequently. Patients wanting to have a boosted experience, patients asking for an all-inclusive experience as fine dining. I mean, if you compare fine dining from 20 years ago, 30 years ago to current fine dining, it's a completely different experience. If you're talking about the airline industry, of course you see that everybody likes to travel, everybody wants to look better. But for those patients that actually want to have that boosted experience, we were offering the best, but with certain limitations that normally that we, I mean, it has to happen. I mean, you have a checkout time from a hotel at 11, but there are some people they want to extend it up to 4:00 PM and that for that reason is that we know and we are sure that we were doing our best and that we will continue to do our best, but for those patients that want more, we can even offer more. So that's how it came to our minds, and we all talked about it, the entire team, everybody's very excited about this, and we are ready to go to start offering these different options.

Monique Ramsey (25:41):
And just to remind the audience, I know about some of the surprises along the way. So when you come in for that first consultation with the surgeon, you're going to spend about an hour with the doctor and the nurse, and you might have some imaging, like we talked about the technology, maybe there's some imaging involved in that consultation process. But then also allow time because there's going to be some time that we need to sit down with you with a coordinator to present your quote or quotes. Sometimes you're like, what if I did this or if I did this and that. So we want to have time for that and for the coordinator to be able to walk you through what you get included with your quote, that signature experience and time to walk through the concierge program for your specific procedure, so we're able to go through that. So please allow enough time at that visit so that we can help walk you through it. And I think people might think, well, what surgery needs a concierge experience? What would you say, Dr. Salazar? Is it dependent on the type of surgery who might need this kind of package, or is it really open to anybody?

Dr. Salazar (26:58):
I would say totally open to anybody. I think anybody can have more comprehensive care for a longer time. One thing that I feel, Monique, is we were touching on pricing as some of our patients. I mean over here at La Jolla Cosmetic, and we are well known for that. We're very transparent with money. We're very transparent with costs and everything. So patients are not going to have any surprises. But some people like to finance their surgeries.

Monique Ramsey (27:28):
True. In fact, let me just interrupt, sorry, or add a little piece. Financing, and we've looked over time because we've offered financing since the mid 1990s to our patients. And over time, that number of patients, it's one in three, it's about 30, 33% of patients use some type of financing. And that's something that most people don't know. And we looked at, we're like, wow, that's one in three. So to your point, financing is something that people can do, and so can they finance this elevated experience?

Dr. Salazar (28:06):
Absolutely. So if they're not financing their surgery, and they probably, let's say that they have some savings and they say, okay, so here's for my surgery, can I finance to add this elevated experience? They can finance that. Another way of seeing it at the same time is that if you are financing your entire surgery, for instance, then this is not adding that much to the big picture. So then when you break it down into your payments, then it doesn't represent a big, big change.

Monique Ramsey (28:41):
Yeah. Well, I think about when you go get your car and they're like, well, you could have these wheels and these rims and these tires, and you're like, well, but then when they add it in and put it out over however many months that they're financing, it's like, oh, okay, that was another $60. Do I want that or do I not? And how important is it to me? So I love that we're kind of touching on the care level in terms of the length of time, because I think that's important to a lot of people. But then also sort of the luxurious part of boosting the recovery or jump starting with the lymphatic drainage or the IV therapy vitamins in recovery, and even having direct access to your surgeons pretty luxurious.

Dr. Salazar (29:36):
No, definitely. I mean, you're seeing Monique, this also, and I'm pretty sure your audience out there, when your primary care doctor, they are also offering concierge services. So you have direct access to your physician and people pay thousands and thousands of dollars on top of their insurance to have direct access to their doctors. Over here is not going to be thousands and thousands of dollars to have direct access to your physician only. You'll see that with that amount extra that patients are investing, they're going to get a large return in terms of all the services, all the different visits, all the perks that they're going to be getting are tremendous. And now for our patients that are actually not very much interested in boosting that experience right off the bat that they want to fly, let's give me your traditional signature experience, the way you've gotten all your stars, and that they want to continue their follow-ups beyond the point of those six months, then they can do it, as we were talking about it, a la carte. They can pay for the different elements and ingredients one at a time. If patients, if they need some injections, if they need some additional visits, or if they need to have a touch up or a revision beyond that period of time, it's all doable. That's exactly who we are, and it's all doable, but it's also a good option for them not to opt out. And then just to, let's see, on a needed basis, and they know that we're always here for them, and our doors are always open.

Monique Ramsey (31:21):
Well, you've always emphasized caring for your patients throughout the recovery process, not just before and the day of. It's that there's that time. And why is that such a key part of your approach?

Dr. Salazar (31:35):
I feel that we talked about this I think in a previous podcast, and remember that I feel the operation, the surgical part, even though we, all of us and all the patients and everybody says that's the date, that's the most important moment. But as a matter of fact, that's just one piece of the puzzle. And the before and after, it's extremely important, as important as that hour or two hours or four hours that we are in the operating room. But molding those results, following up closely at different points in time, becomes as crucial as your operation. And that's how patients get their final result. So that, I feel that's why we are so close to our patients. And normally you see, it's like we see them the day after or the next day, then we see them at a week. We see them at three weeks, six weeks, routinely, three months, six months. And that is if everything's going adequately and perfectly well without any bump, and if God forbids there is a bump, then we see them even more frequently. So that's, I feel, our secret ingredient.

Monique Ramsey (32:56):
And that probably is the thing that sets us apart from other practices in San Diego where it is just that extra amount of care, even if you're at the signature level, you've already got, I was thinking about this the other day. It was like, it's like we're at the Ritz Carlton or the Four Seasons, and it's already this amazing experience, but maybe you got the romance package for the weekend and it's going to have champagne and it's going to have chocolate covered strawberries and maybe some other little spa treatment for you and your significant other. So it's sort of like, if you want to do that, that's fun. And I think especially for surgery, I love the fact that we're pursuing this for patients who want that experience and who feel that, whether it's in jumpstart their recovery, that they have the longer follow-up time or the ultrasounds or all of it, or even if they add on a home visit by a nurse or a doctor.

(33:59):
I think all of those things, being able to show that it's like I was flying this last weekend to Las Vegas. And Southwest used to have one kind of ticket, like four or five, and they put up a whole little chart, and they've got the, if you get this anytime, they'll want to get away, want to get away anytime. This, I'm like, oh my God, I hadn't flown them in a long time. And it was like, oh, well, there's these choices. Well, if you want to be before the A group, you get this or we'll automatically check you in. It was like, oh, an extra $26. But you have, as the consumer, you get to choose, what is that level of care or what's that? Yeah, I still got from Vegas to San Diego and in one piece and everything was great, but I didn't have to stress about A, B, and C. So I think that's the kind of analogy for all of us to be thinking about. We're still going to, you're having an amazing experience, you're going to have beautiful results, but it's just kind of about that journey and that elevated experience.

Dr. Salazar (35:05):
And when we were putting our minds together to create this new experience, Monique, how many times have we been voted best plastic surgery practice in San Diego and actually won? Multiple. We've won that award many, many times. So really when we were putting our heads together, it was how can we make best better? How can we make and how can we boost already the best plastic surgery practice experience? So that is actually using all of our history, all of our tradition, using our legacy of excellence and how we can make it better. How can we provide our patients with even more things? And it's very well thought, there are multiple points where patients are going to truly feel that they are having a concierge experience. I'm very happy.

Monique Ramsey (36:19):
Let's talk about timing. So let's say somebody's listening to this podcast right now, and they've got their surgery set up for December. Can they add this on now? Or let's say somebody turns down the experience, but then a few days before surgery, they're like, actually, I might think I want to do that. How does the timing work?

Dr. Salazar (36:43):
So in terms of timing, what we want for us to be able to have everything ready for those patients at the right moment and to fulfill their expectations, we want to know at least three days before their surgery that they are opting in for that concierge experience. So if they're having surgery in December, and as we are launching our program, they want to become part of that experience, they can opt in. The only thing they need to do is talk to their coordinator. They can go over the benefits that they could potentially get if they opt in for it, and then they'll sign up and that's it. Yes, yes, patients can opt in even if they have their surgery already scheduled. And then the last part is if they initially, as you were saying, they don't think that they want to add it, but then they change their mind as long as it's for about three days before their surgery, contact coordinators and say, you know what? Let's boost it. Let me have that even better option. And then they can accommodate for them.

Monique Ramsey (37:54):
Well, thanks Dr. Salazar. I think this was a good little overview, and I don't think we spoiled too many surprises, but I think you really touched on almost all the key points. Some things are going to change slightly depending on what kind of surgery you're having, but we'll go through that with you at the consultation. But again, to anybody out there, if you have questions about it, about financing, about you want to see some before and afters, they're all on our website. But you'll see even more when you come in for your consultation, and we'll go through that with you, what your normal experience, your signature experience would be, and what that concierge experience would be and what that would cost when you add it on. For the audience, thanks for listening today. Please like us subscribe, put comments in. Well, if you're listening or watching on YouTube, add a question, if you have a question, we'll answer them. So anything else you need, just contact us and we'll see you all on the next one. Thanks.

Dr. Salazar (39:00):
Thanks so much for your invitation.

Announcer (39:02):
Take a screenshot of this podcast episode with your phone and show it at your consultation or appointment or mention the promo code PODCAST to receive $25 off any service or product of $50 or more at La Jolla Cosmetic. La Jolla Cosmetic is located just off the I-5 San Diego Freeway in the Ximed Building on the Scripps Memorial Hospital campus. To learn more, go to ljcsc.com or follow the team on Instagram @ljcsc. The La Jolla Cosmetic Podcast is a production of The Axis, theaxis.io.