Any successful relationship with your patients is built on trust. Setting boundaries within your medspa is crucial for maintaining a professional balance, exceptional patient care, and your personal well-being.
It’s common for medspa professionals to build friendly and even close relationships with their patients. They appreciate your expertise and care, and you’re grateful for their support. While these connections are important, establishing professional boundaries enhances your patient relationships by creating more meaningful and respectful interactions, strengthening your long-term patient-provider relationship.
What Are Patient-Provider Boundaries?
A boundary is essentially any accepted social, physical, or psychological space between people. Boundaries create an appropriate distance between a provider and their patient, helping to establish roles and expectations.
Establishing an appropriate professional distance is important in all provider-patient relationships, as it creates a consistent, predictable structure for how your team interacts with every patient.
Let’s dive into 3 patient-provider boundaries you can establish in your medspa.
1. Create a Late Policy
Late policies are essential for maintaining your medspa’s schedule and creating a positive experience for both your patients and staff.
Clearly outline your expectations to each patient, specifying the time frame within which they should arrive and any potential consequences for breaking the policy. These could include a reduction in appointment time, rescheduling of the appointment, or additional fees.
2. Establish Consistent Business Hours
When you’re running a business, you set your own hours and should stick with them, though it’s easier said than done. You want to make appointment times work for your patients, and it can be tough not to move your schedule around to fit them in, but it’s important not to bite off more than you can chew.
By maintaining a fixed schedule, you signal to your patients that your time is valuable and that your medspa is run professionally. This approach helps prevent burnout, stress, and discourages the habit of overextending yourself to accommodate every request. Consistent hours allow for better time management and can enhance the quality of care you provide, as you can focus fully on each appointment without the strain of an erratic schedule.
3. Don’t Negotiate on Price
Negotiating prices can undermine the value of your services and lead to inconsistencies that affect patient trust and satisfaction. By setting and adhering to clear, transparent pricing, you ensure your services are standardized and fair for all patients.
Firm pricing helps prevent scenarios where patients might expect or demand special treatment, which can potentially impact the service quality for others. Having straightforward, non-negotiable prices is essential for building long-term patient relationships based on respect and fairness.
Actioning Your Boundaries
Remember, setting patient-provider boundaries isn’t about creating barriers but fostering mutual respect, fairness, and a sustainable long-term relationship with your patients.
Enforcing your boundaries won’t always make everyone happy, but it’s necessary when running a medspa. You have the right to set boundaries that work for you, your team, and your patients.
For more strategies and insight into running your medspa, see our blog or contact us today.
