New BuildMyBod smartphone app helps consumers plan and price cosmetic surgery.
Phil Rainer, Health Line, WAFB CBS Affiliate
Jonathan Kaplan, MD announced the release of BuildMyBod™, a smartphone app he developed that allows consumers to find a cosmetic surgeon, plan and price cosmetic surgery procedures, and make an appointment directly through the application.
Approved by the iPhone App store, BuildMyBod is now available for cosmetic surgeons to subscribe to the database and upload their practice data. Consumers can download the free app at the iPhone App Store – search keyword, “buildmybod”. More information is also available at buildmybod.com. As more surgeons upload their data, the app will allow consumers to search for cosmetic surgeons by zip code and review different procedures by gender with pricing information that includes the total costs – doctors fees, operating room costs, anesthesia costs, implants, etc. Previously, some physicians included only their own fees, which did not provide a complete picture.
The BuildMyBod app, which works on iPhones™, iPads™, and the iPod Touch™, has been approved and is now available through the iPhone App Store. According to Dr. Kaplan, a version for phones that use the Android™ operating system will soon be available.
Kaplan, a cosmetic surgeon, originally devised the BuildMyBod app to help build his own practice, but decided to include a database of thousands of cosmetic surgeons across the country. According to Kaplan, “Consumers want information to make better buying decisions, especially about cosmetic surgery, where prices for the same procedures can vary by as much as 35%! As the dramatic growth in the development of apps for the iPhone shows, people want the convenience of having information they can use to make important decisions on their phones. It seemed logical that being able to research cosmetic surgeons and procedures that way would be of real value to consumers and to surgeons, too.”
While the app lists thousands of cosmetic surgeons and their contact information in its database, surgeons are encouraged to subscribe to the database and add specific practice information and total procedure pricing to their file. This is important because the surgeon’s fee makes up only 60-80% of the total cost. Additional costs can include fees for anesthesia, the operating room, and for any devices, such as implants.
