After
more than 20 years, Dr. W Byron Barber is finally practicing
medicine the way he's always wanted to with time to treat
each patient as if they were his only patient and do so
in a comfortable, unhurried atmosphere.
But getting there required walking away from an established
practice and going out on his own.
By January 2004, Dr. Barber was ready.
"It was the next step," Dr. Barber said.
After nearly two years, Dr. Barber says
the practice has far exceeded his most optimistic projections.
"I get to do what I've wanted to concentrate on cosmetic
surgery," he said. "My goal was to transition
to a completely cosmetic surgery practice."
While he still does the occasional breast
reduction and reconstruction he's still chief of plastic
surgery at Moses Cone Hospital and is on-call for the
Emergency Rooms several nights a month nearly all of his
clients are undergoing voluntary procedures. That means
few of the bills are paid by insurance. And that means
running a medical practice with a much higher standard
of service and comfort than most have experienced.
For Dr. Barber, that means more than simply
the procedures he performs. It means the interior design
of his office, the mindset of his staff and a level of
personal attention and confidentiality far beyond what's
experienced in other medical offices.
"When you have four doctors treating
patients, it's all but impossible to keep patients from
seeing each other in the waiting rooms," he said.
"When people are paying for it out of their own pocket
they expect a little bit more. They want to be treated
with respect, be seen on time and they want confidentiality.
"These are not huge things, but they
are important things," he said. "These are the
things that I wanted to create in my practice."
While
Dr. Barber is among he best in his field he was selected
as one of America's
Top Surgeons for 2004-2005 by his colleagues in the American
Board of Plastic Surgeons he attributes his meteoric rise,
in large part, to his wife's expertise in running a business.
While Dr. Barber spent more than two decades
practicing medicine. Henrietta Barber spent that time
in the business world. So after 10 years of urging her
husband to go out on his own, she was hardly the type
to let him do it alone.
As she walked around the plushly appointed office on a
recent Friday afternoon, the pride Henrietta Barber takes
in the practice, and her involvement in it, is obvious
with every word as she points out the treatment rooms,
the side entrance "if we think a patient might know
someone in the waiting area, we'll suggest they use the
side entrance and have someone bring their car around"
to the operating room accredited as meeting hospital standards.
"It had never been done right; this
is not a regular doctor's office," she said. "There
is a feeling today of we want our money's worth, and we
want to give that feeling in return."
That means individualized attention, taking
time to consult with and educate their clients.
"When they leave, they feel good about
what's been done," she said.
And that means hiring the right people to
create that atmosphere.
From the start, Henrietta Barber was deeply
involved in the business end, from finding office space,
to ordering equipment and hiring staff. And while she
takes pains to stay away from the medical side she doesn't
know most of the names of her husband's clients Henrietta
Barber continues to handle the payroll; pay vendors and
weigh in on where and how to advertise.
Like most old-school doctors and lawyers, Dr. Barber is
not a fan of advertising. Reluctantly though, he admits
that starting a private practice requires some advertising,
especially in a field comprised of nearly all elective
procedures.
"I think any doctor would like to think his work
speaks for itself," he said. "In point of fact,
times have changed. We live in a society that puts a lot
of credence on advertising and marketing."
But he remains determined to avoid the used-car
sales type of ads.
"We're trying to remain sophisticated
and focused on education (in our advertising," he
said.
One type of marketing Dr. Barber particularly
enjoys is the free seminars he holds. Usually discussing
"the little things that you can do." The small,
not very expensive things that you can do that make a
huge difference," Henrietta Barber said.
And while her work is behind the scenes,
from marketing the practice, hiring staff, negotiating
leases and buying equipment, Dr. Barber is quick to point
out that the two of them make a team;
"She handles a lot of the things that
would take time away from the practice of medicine,"
Dr. Barber said. "The Web Site alone took months
of effort."
In addition to marketing, Henrietta Barber
handles the payroll, budgeting, buying supplies and picking
vendors and perhaps most importantly, hiring.
Her first hire was within weeks of opening
their doors when she brought 25
year-old Alicia Cline on board as the receptionist. Cline,
who had previous experience working in dental offices,
is often the first person patients hear on the phone and
the first person they meet when they come to the office.
Despite her background working in dental
offices, Cline said the new job took a little adjusting
to.
"It's a very different place,"
she said. "Most people are already nervous when they're
making their first call or first visit, but we take a
lot more time with the patients coming in. This is a lot
quieter, more confidential and there is less stress."
While business was slow to start, "when we opened
the new office, it exploded," Cline said.
That's when the Barber's went looking for
a full-time nurse. Enter Wendy McNeely, registered nurse
and operating room first assistant. A former trauma ICU
nurse at Duke University Hospital, McNeely had joined
Dr. Barber's former practice shortly before he went out
on his own. Arid apparently made an impression.
"When he called me for the position,
I was honored," she said.
Most recently, and after talking with other plastic surgeons
about their practices, the Barbers hired Marsha Duffy
as their patient care coordinator:
"It is likely the most important position
from a customer service standpoint," Henrietta said.
"From a business stand- point, client services may
be the most critical part of the office."
After consulting with Dr. Barber about their
treatment, patients meet with Duffy, who discusses the
cost, helps arrange payment or financing I necessary and
coordinates surgery and recovery. Most of all, Duffy is
the one person each patient will have constant contact
with throughout their treatment.
"We treat them as the most important
patient we've ever had," she said. "From the
level of decor, to the length of time spent with them
you have never seen this type of medicine practiced before."
Already the Barber's are trying to expand
the business by hiring a medical esthetician, a skin care
specialist certified to use and apply many prescription-only
treatments.
And while they don't expect to bring another
doctor into the practice, they have another office and
treatment room available if the day should ever come.
Barber Center for Plastic Surgery
1591 Yanceyville St. Suite 100 Greensboro, NC
336-275-3430 www.barberplasticsurgery.com
