Our consultation fee in Atlanta is $100 to meet Dr Okoro, or $50 for his Physician Assistant (fees are applicable towards your surgical procedure). Yes, the fee is actually deducted from your surgical fee. Please read important information below.
Why We Charge A Consultation Fee to meet the Doctor
And why a “free consultation” is not necessarily in your best interest.
1) We believe that in consulting with a professional – as with all things in life – “you get what you pay for.”
If You Pay Nothing, You Receive Nothing of Value
Unfortunately, too often, a “free consultation” for cosmetic surgery turns into nothing but a high-pressured sales pitch. Rather, a professional consultation should be a learning experience, an educational opportunity for you and not a “sales closing.” It should function solely for your benefit and to your advantage. Dr Okoro spends time with his patients listening and understanding their desires. He believes that a patient should not be pressured in making a very important & personal decision. Simply put, you will feel at home at his office. The purpose of the consultation is for you to learn & to determine if it is the right thing for you to do. Through the process of listening to you, understanding your desires and conducting an examination, an appropriate recommendation will be made. That recommendation might even be that nothing be done.
2) Consultation fees also help weed out what is referred to as a “Looky loo.” This is a term for someone who looks at something with no intention of buying it. In cosmetic surgery, it’s a person who may not be serious about booking a surgery or procedure but just wants to see what a consultation is all about. They may be interested in getting attention and pampering, or just want to satisfy their curiosity. This is not to say curiosity is wrong, but Dr. Okoro prefer not to invest time in patients who never intend to have the surgery.
It would be like having someone analyze your vehicle or the alarm system in your home to determine a problem or glitch you believe you may have. The technicians then go over everything and give you your options and then you say at the end, “Thanks, but I’m not interested in fixing it at this time.” In fact, you knew you weren’t interested in having it fixed, or you couldn’t afford it, but you were curious as to what could be done and how much it would cost.
3) Some physicians who are not trained as Plastic Surgeons, but pose as “cosmetic surgeons” may offer free consultation as a way to attract more patients to their practice. Most of these free consults are quick visit with a sales consultant, Nurse or Physicians Assistant (PA) and not the physician. Even when the physician is involved, he or she may not invest the time to evaluate the patient. Free consult is just what it is. Free. Why should you pay to see a non Plastic Surgeon? We believe these types of consults should be free, since you are not spending the time with the Plastic Surgeon and not receiving anything of value. Additionally, many patients are not aware of the differences between a plastic surgeon and a cosmetic surgeon. There is a very big difference. Click here to learn more. Ask this question – Board certifed in What? Some offer bargain cosmetic surgery. Do you really want to bargain your cosmetic outcome? Remember, “You get what you pay for.”
The following is taken from a booklet by Mark Sugar entitled “A Guide to Choosing a Good Plastic Surgeon” (published 1990):
“Doctors usually charge a consultation fee for your first visit, which may be as much as $150 or more (but is applied against your surgery fees), but the amount of their initial consultation fee should not really play a role in deciding who you consult. After all, you will presumably be spending thousands of dollars on surgery which could cost many more thousands to try to correct elsewhere if done poorly, so an extra two or three hundred dollars in consultation fees should not be a basis for narrowing the field. I thought I was saving money by consulting with six doctors who charged no initial fee, but in hindsight realize that the best doctor was the seventh one who charged a $75 fee (he ended up correcting part of my botched surgery). I feel that doctors who charge no consultation fee use it as a sales tool to attract clients while those that charge a fee may be relying more on their reputations.”
To schedule a confidential consultation please call 770-464-5485 today or email us at info@georgiaplastic.com
All data and information provided within this website and related blog is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Georgia Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, PC makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, correctness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. Treatment information and medical recommendations must be made on a case-by-case basis; it is recommended that you seek personalized care from a board certified medical doctor for any medical questions or health issues you may have. Some photos in this website feature models for illustrative purposes. Photos of actual patients can be found in the before and after photo gallery.
