Patients only retain a fraction of what they hear in a consultation. That gap is where deposits stall, phone calls pile up, and confidence erodes between the consult and the operating room. Closing that gap isn't about talking more — it's about giving patients something they can take home, share with their family, and come back to.

A Nextech user from day one, Dr. Michael McCracken is a board-certified oculoplastic surgeon who uses TouchMD to draw directly on patient photos during consults, assigns pre-op and post-op “homework” — including short videos he records himself — and gives patients a HIPAA-compliant way to keep the conversation going at home with their spouse or partner.

They also get into why photo quality is the real calling card of an aesthetic practice today, how to structure educational videos patients will actually watch, and what consistent consult and post-op systems do for closing rates, phone volume, and patient trust.

Questions answered by this episode:

1. How do plastic surgeons use TouchMD during patient consultations?
2. How can aesthetic practices reduce repetitive patient phone calls after surgery?
3. What is the best way to educate patients before and after a cosmetic procedure?
4. How long should patient education videos be for an aesthetic practice?
5. Why are before-and-after photos so important for plastic surgery marketing?
6. How can I share before-and-after photos without violating HIPAA?
7. What is an oculoplastic surgeon?
8. How much do patients actually remember from a consultation?
9. How can I show a patient what their surgical result will look like?
10. What makes a high-quality patient photograph in an aesthetic practice?

Michael S. McCracken, MD, FACS
Oculoplastic Surgeon, McCracken Eye and Face Institute

Dr. Michael McCracken is a board-certified oculoplastic surgeon and Castle Connolly Top Doctor based in the Denver area. With more than 10,000 cosmetic eyelid procedures under his belt, he is widely considered Colorado’s foremost fellowship-trained oculoplastic surgeon.

Dr. McCracken has been in solo practice for 18 years and has been a Nextech user from day one. He also serves as an assistant clinical professor of ophthalmology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and trains ASOPRS fellows in his operating room.

Connect with Dr. McCracken on LinkedIn

Learn more about McCracken Eye and Face Institute

About Aesthetically Speaking

Aesthetically Speaking is presented by Nextech — the practice management and EHR platform built for aesthetic specialties. Nextech gives practice owners, managers, and their teams the tools to run a modern, efficient aesthetic practice, from patient engagement and marketing to clinical documentation and reporting.

Request a demo at nextech.com/request-demo