Greg Ratliff, MD, Plastic Surgery
A Practice Specializing in Breast Augmentation Surgery

The original Web site for our plastic surgery practice was designed by the Internet team at CSI. It received excellent comments from our patients and a Silver Award in Healthcare Marketing Report's annual advertising awards. Moreover, the Web site and related marketing activities contributed to the expansion of our practice and created added value for patients and referring physicians.

Last year, we undertook new initiatives based on emerging protocols in CSI's New Business Acquisition programs. This was based on the assumption that our patient outcomes and cost effectiveness would attract patients from a larger geographic area. We also assumed that an increased share of the existing market could be won.

CSI used its skills and experience to develop, test, and launch an online public awareness and marketing campaign utilizing the Google search engine platform. This took place in combination with adjustments in our online presence and organizational identity changes. CSI collaborated with our administrator, Cheryl Ulmer, in executing these projects.

The results of this work increased the business momentum of our practice and helped fuel remarkable growth. Much of the new patient volume involved breast augmentation surgery. As a faculty member at the Osler Institute, I train other plastic surgeons from throughout the United States in breast enhancement procedures and it is a very significant portion of our practice.

On the strength of these achievements, we decided to change our already successful Web site in order to increase its effectiveness and value. CSI undertook a complete redevelopment over a period of several months. The new site provides visitors with an excellent interface, an easy pathway toward desired behaviors, and expanded content. Our online breast center, for example, includes images of patients before and after surgery and our data confirms the importance of this section to women from throughout the region. By all measures, we believe the new site is among the best and most successful plastic surgery Web sites in the nation.

Cumulatively, these efforts resulted in more business growth for our practice. The custom search marketing program directed by CSI and supported by Google has continued to increase our market share.

We have documented that nearly every new patient we see has used our Internet resources. The Internet is also the fastest rising source of new patients for our practice. Geographically targeted Web traffic reaches our maximum everyday. As a result, we are serving more patients, and we are accomplishing and sustaining the aggressive goals we have for our business.

Greg Ratliff, M.D.