It's time for a change.
The practice of medicine has evolved in the past 10 years. I began in General Surgery where I have felt my most true calling. After spending several years in the practice of General Surgery I began to realize that if I wanted to be as financially secure as I desired I would not be able to spend time watching my children grow up. It was in this mindset that I was convinced finding a niche surgical practice, whose primary source of revenue was non-insurance related, would be desirable.
I spent considerable time and energies learning the trade through what I know was the best educational experience. What I didn't consider at the time was that the market for Cosmetic Surgery could become super-saturated over a very short period of time. This led me to play let's make a deal and I began to feel that some patients were coming only because I was low bid and not because they valued my surgical abilities.
I must also say that Cosmetic Surgery is a very expensive business. There are many additional expenses including advertising and consumables that at times are quite difficult to quantify in terms of ROI. I must say that I've discerned that this large overhead and over-saturated market has left me with the decision to return to my roots.
As such I will be closing my Cosmetic Surgery and elective General Surgery practice on December 1, 2007. I have taken a position with Desert Trauma Surgeons, Inc. (DTS) as a Trauma/Emergency Surgery surgeon. DTS works out of Desert Regional Medical Center the Coachella Valley's only Level 2 Trauma Center. I have come the realize that this will be my niche surgical practice. I forsee with University of California, Riverside's new School of Medicine, a hospital based surgical practice, especially one based in trauma, will be positioned well to become a core surgical residency rotation.
I wish my staff and my patients all the best and I hope your futures are bright.
If you are here looking for Dr. Ronald Fragen, you've come to the wrong website. Dr. Ronald Fragen is still in the active practice of cosmetic surgery and can be reached at 760-327-1226.