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

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

The vetting course of

If I’m being trustworthy, after 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 somewhat 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 medical doctors refer sufferers to their equally influential friends, are they offering a useful medical service, pumping up every others’ practices—or somewhat little bit of each? In equity, a few of these medical doctors do have private relationships offline. And it’s common for them to refer sufferers forwards and backwards. Dr. Henry maintains that suggestions from revered medical doctors are “excellent,” and believes that Persana can “assist sufferers reduce by way of the misleading social-media advertising that usually steers them within the fallacious route when making selections 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 associates [vouching for each other], so the vetting course of has numerous objectivity.”

Earlier than inviting a doctor into the community, the Persana advisory board, which incorporates a few of the names listed above, authenticates their medical license and board-certification standing. (Docs need to 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 have to 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 status (through their web site, affected person opinions, and social platforms) and “confirms they’re in good standing, with none latest or main malpractice actions,” Dr. Azizzadeh provides.

Whereas there may be arguably some inherent bias on this—and each vetting system carried out by people—the background test 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 smart to do your individual homework earlier than totally committing to a doctor.)