By Dr Naveen Somia
Buy Now, Pay Later, lay-by payments, payment plans and cosmetic surgery loans – all of these topics make up a list of top Frequently Asked Questions by patients who consider cosmetic surgery. The benefits of such financial products that are advertised using terms such as “flexible payment plans”, “convenience”, “easy approval”, “low interest” (or in some cases “no interest”) can be enticing. But it pays to do your research and discuss with your accountant or financial adviser before you commit to medical loans or loans for cosmetic surgery.
We are a registered medical practice and, hence, we are not qualified to provide you with a financial advice or offer financial products to help you pay for cosmetic surgery.
The Medical Board of Australia has specific guidelines on financing schemes and the section 12.4 states the following:
The medical practitioner should not offer financing schemes to patients either directly or through a third party, such as loans or commercial payment plans, as part of the cosmetic medical or surgical services.
Most medical practices accept multiple payment options including cash, credit cards such as Visa, Mastercard and Amex. Some practices may offer Buy Now, Pay Later products, such as Zip Pay and Afterpay, while some medical practices may accept medical loans, such as TLC Finance and Mac Credit as accepted payment methods.
There are numerous companies that provide medical loans for medical and cosmetic procedures. If you Google “medical finance” or Google “medical loans” you will come up with a list companies that provide this service.
The traditional method of sourcing funds for your medical procedure has been through a personal loan from your bank or a low interest credit card.
FINANCIAL DISCLAIMER :
Our practice is a registered medical practice. We do not provide financial advice, nor credit, nor financial services. We recommend that you obtain financial advice from your accountant or financial advisor.
FRACS (Plastic Surgery) – Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
Past President : ASAPS ( Australasian Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons)
Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS)
PhD (Eyelid Surgery) – University of Louisville, USA
