Academic Physicians' Attitudes Toward Implementation of Multidisciplinary Cosmetic Centers and the Challenges of Subspecialties Working Together

A multidisciplinary cosmetic center (MCC) consists of multiple specialties providing a wide array of elective cosmetic procedures to patients. Academic centers have begun creating MCCs in response to increasing public demand for these services. Our goal was to assess the level of interest in MCCs among physicians in specialties that would typically be involved at an academic hospital. A pilot study was performed in which 6 academic physicians from the departments of dermatology, dermatologic surgery, plastic surgery, otolaryngology, and ophthalmology were surveyed on their attitudes toward MCCs and other physicians in specialties providing cosmetic services. The survey included both open-ended questions and multiple-choice opinion statements to assess opinions on MCCs and the collaboration between disciplines. Among survey respondents, the overall opinion on MCCs was positive. Perceived benefits included improved patient care, shared resources, increased opportunity for multidisciplinary research, improved resident education training, and increased cross-referrals. Concerns included potential friction and increased competition among providers with the implementation of a multidisciplinary approach to cosmetic services. This survey was a pilot study, thus the data are limited by a small sample size. Academic physicians were interested in participating in an MCC. This survey helped reveal the potential pitfalls of an MCC, which may be an important step toward constructing a practice model that will minimize conflict among specialists, maximize cooperation and collaboration, and ultimately lead to optimized patient care and outcomes.

Listen to Dr. Feldman's audiocast on subspecialties working together in multidisciplinary cosmetic centers here.