Krieger L M, Shaw W W
Department of Surgery, University of California, Los Angeles Medical Center, 90095, USA.
Plast Reconstr Surg. 1999 Dec;104(7):2305-11. doi: 10.1097/00006534-199912000-00061.
To gather information about aesthetic surgery's current practice structures, competitive environment, patient price sensitivity, and marketing and practice development requirements, a two-page survey was developed and mailed to all 1180 members of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. A total of 632 surveys were returned (response rate of 54.5 percent). Most aesthetic plastic surgeons said they were in solo practice (63.3 percent). More than two-thirds described the marketplace as "very competitive," with 59 percent reporting 25 or more surgeons offering aesthetic surgery in their area. They estimated their patients' average income at $62,800. Nearly all plastic surgeons labeled their patients as "moderately price sensitive" (62.3 percent) or "very price sensitive" (30.6 percent). Similarly, 23.2 percent estimated that they had lost 20 or more patients within the last year for reasons of price. Practice development and marketing efforts represented an average of 7.3 percent of plastic surgeons' working time. Parameters associated with a high percentage of time devoted to these activities were solo practice, percentage of revenue from aesthetic surgery greater than 50 percent, a practice environment designation of moderately or very competitive, and ten or more area surgeons offering aesthetic surgery (p < 0.05). High patient income led to only slight decreases in price sensitivity and did not significantly reduce the amount of time spent on marketing and practice development. Although the rest of the healthcare industry has undergone a period of consolidation, aesthetic surgeons have been able to resist these changes. The results of this survey suggest that the fragmented nature of the aesthetic surgery industry is associated with additional burdens on plastic surgeons. As the aesthetic surgery market becomes more competitive, plastic surgeons may benefit from consolidation to reduce costs and maximize efficiency.
为收集有关美容外科当前业务结构、竞争环境、患者价格敏感度以及营销和业务发展要求的信息，设计了一份两页的调查问卷，并邮寄给了美国美容整形外科学会的1180名会员。共收到632份回复（回复率为54.5%）。大多数美容整形外科医生表示他们是独自执业（63.3%）。超过三分之二的人将市场描述为“竞争非常激烈”，59%的人报告称其所在地区有25名或更多的外科医生提供美容手术。他们估计患者的平均收入为62,800美元。几乎所有整形外科医生都将他们的患者标记为“价格敏感度中等”（62.3%）或“价格敏感度非常高”（30.6%）。同样，23.2%的人估计他们在过去一年中因价格原因失去了20名或更多患者。业务发展和营销工作平均占整形外科医生工作时间的7.3%。与这些活动投入时间比例较高相关的因素包括独自执业、美容手术收入占比超过50%、业务环境被认定为竞争中等或非常激烈，以及所在地区有10名或更多提供美容手术的外科医生（p < 0.05）。患者高收入仅导致价格敏感度略有下降，并没有显著减少在营销和业务发展上花费的时间。尽管医疗行业的其他领域经历了整合期，但美容外科医生能够抵制这些变化。本次调查结果表明，美容外科行业的分散性质给整形外科医生带来了额外负担。随着美容外科市场竞争加剧，整形外科医生可能会从整合中受益，以降低成本并实现效率最大化。
