Australia has the highest skin cancer rate in the world. Most patients aren't coming back for their annual check.
Across Australian dermatology practices, patient retention follows a consistent pattern — the majority of patients lapse after their initial visit, and almost none receive proactive follow-up. Here's the opportunity hiding in every dermatology database.
Dermatology sits at the intersection of medical necessity and cosmetic demand.
Dermatology care is inherently recurring. Patient behaviour isn't.
Annual skin cancer surveillance. Quarterly eczema and psoriasis reviews. Botox every 90 days. Laser courses every 4–6 weeks. Chemical peel maintenance every 6–8 weeks. Nearly every dermatology service has a clinically-driven return window — yet most patients fall off their schedule without follow-up.
The economics of ignoring retention.
“A consistent pattern across every dermatology practice we analyse.”
Different sizes. Different locations. Different specialties — medical, cosmetic, surgical. The same retention gap appears in every single one.
Dermatology has longer recall cycles than most allied health — annual skin checks, 3–6 monthly reviews, 90-day cosmetic cycles. Despite this, the majority of patients fall outside their recommended return window.
Typical distribution across analysed dermatology practices
The retention gap in dermatology
No system.
Most dermatology practices rely on their PMS recall list or hope patients self-manage their return schedule. There is no automated system that understands each patient's specific condition, treatment history, and clinically-appropriate return window.
Four segments hiding in every dermatology database.
What does this mean in dollars?
Based on a practice with 5,000 patients and ~55% overdue. Modelled at conservative reengagement rates by segment.
Skin surveillance patients return annually. Cosmetic patients return every 90 days. Chronic condition patients return every 3–6 months. Each recovered patient enters a recurring cycle.
| Segment | Pool | Rate | Recovered | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skin Surveillance | ~825 | 12% | 99 | $34,650 |
| Chronic Condition | ~550 | 10% | 55 | $16,500 |
| Cosmetic Maintenance | ~413 | 15% | 62 | $26,350 |
| No-Show Recovery | ~220 | 25% | 55 | $19,250 |
| Total | 271 | $96,750 |
These aren't aspirational numbers. They're industry benchmarks.
“Our practice already sends recall letters for skin checks.”
That's a start. But a generic recall letter sent to every patient at the same interval isn't the same as a system that understands each patient's specific condition, risk profile, treatment history, and clinically-appropriate return window — and uses behavioral science to actually get them to act.
82 behavioral principles. 20 seminal works. Dermatology-specific treatment protocols.
Routiq's messaging engine is built on proven cognitive mechanisms from Nobel Prize-winning research in behavioral economics, psychology, and habit formation.
These aren't marketing tips. They're systematic psychological frameworks applied automatically to the right patient at the right moment.
From: Kahneman, Thaler, Cialdini, Eyal, Clear, Heath, Fogg, Shotton, Sutherland, Gilbert, Duke, and more.
Loss Aversion + Anchoring: Early detection is everything.
The same patient. The same overdue skin check. Completely different response rates.
Loss aversion activates the fear of missing early detection. Anchoring contrasts 14 months against the 12-month norm. Authority invokes the specific doctor. Shrink the change makes it just 30 minutes. In a country where 2 in 3 people will get skin cancer, the clinical urgency is real — not manufactured.
Chronic Condition Lapsed
Loss Aversion + Commitment
Frames inaction as risk. Anchors to their specific condition. Positions the visit as maintaining their existing progress.
Cosmetic Maintenance
Endowment Effect + Anchoring
Endowment effect — they already have the results and are losing them. Anchoring contrasts 4 months against the 3-month norm.
Every campaign follows a 3-touch behavioral sequence.
Loss Aversion
“Your last skin check was 14 months ago. Early detection changes outcomes...”
Activate urgency through clinical reality
Default Effect
“We've reserved a spot for you on Tuesday at 2pm with Dr Roberts — reply YES to confirm...”
Remove friction, make YES easy
Social Proof + Authority
“Most of our patients with your risk profile come in annually. The earlier we check, the better the outcomes.”
Peer validation + clinical authority
Three messages. Three psychological mechanisms. Automated. Personalised. Clinically grounded.
Three layers no one else has.
Clinical Intelligence
Knows their last full skin exam was 14 months ago, they're high-risk (fair skin, history of BCC), they also have an overdue psoriasis review, and their Botox from 4 months ago has faded. Dermatology-specific treatment protocols covering medical, chronic, and cosmetic streams.
Behavioral Science
82 proven principles from Nobel Prize-winning research. Loss aversion, default effects, social proof, endowment effect — applied automatically per segment at the right moment.
Automation at Scale
Monitors every patient across medical, chronic, and cosmetic streams — simultaneously. White-label messaging. AI-powered replies. Works 24/7. Zero staff hours.
Why not your front desk, recall letters, or your PMS?
| Capability | Front Desk / Recall Letters | PMS / Genie | Routiq |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knows each patient's condition, risk profile, and when they're overdue | No — generic recall list | Basic date-based only | Yes — condition-aware protocols |
| Triggers at the exact clinically-appropriate return window | Manual, if remembered | Fixed intervals only | Yes — per condition, per patient |
| Applies behavioral science to maximise response | No — template letters | No — generic reminders | Yes — 82 principles, every message |
| Manages medical, chronic, and cosmetic streams together | Siloed or missed | No cross-stream view | Yes — unified patient view |
| Handles patient replies with clinical context | Staff required | No reply handling | Instant, AI-powered |
| Scales without adding admin staff | Linear cost | Limited automation | Fully automated |
| Works nights, weekends, holidays | No | No | Always on |
This isn't a campaign. It's a compounding system.
Dermatology has multiple overlapping cycles. Skin surveillance patients return annually. Cosmetic patients return every 90 days. Chronic condition patients every 3–6 months. Each recovered patient enters a recurring cycle — automatically monitored, automatically reminded.
Campaigns have a start and end date. Routiq runs forever.
Based on 30 patients/month recovered at blended $350/visit
Cumulative recovered revenue — cosmetic patients start returning at Month 4
What does this look like for your practice?
| Your patient database | Estimated overdue (~55%) | Conservative (5%) | Moderate (10%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2,000 patients | 1,100 | $19,250 | $38,500 |
| 5,000 patients | 2,750 | $48,125 | $96,250 |
| 10,000 patients | 5,500 | $96,250 | $192,500 |
| 20,000 patients | 11,000 | $192,500 | $385,000 |
| 50,000 patients | 27,500 | $481,250 | $962,500 |
Based on ~55% overdue rate and blended average of $350 per recovered patient visit across medical, chronic, and cosmetic streams. Conservative scenario uses 5% reengagement; industry benchmarks show 15–25% is achievable.
With Routiq vs. without.
Without Routiq
Skin cancer surveillance gaps (clinical risk)
Revenue plateau despite growing demand
No visibility across medical, chronic, and cosmetic streams
Growth dependent on GP referral pipeline
Admin burden on already-stretched reception staff
With Routiq
Skin surveillance gaps flagged automatically
Three revenue streams (medical, chronic, cosmetic) all managed
Clinical duty of care met at scale
Revenue from patients you've already seen
Zero additional admin hours
You already did the hard part — diagnosing their condition, creating a management plan, building their trust in your expertise.
Those patients didn't leave because they found a better dermatologist. They left because life got busy and nobody reminded them.
Their skin hasn't stopped needing care. They just need the right nudge.
How many overdue skin checks are sitting in your database right now?
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Clinical Intelligence Meets Behavioral Science
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Sources
Australasian College of Dermatologists · AHPRA · Cancer Council Australia
AIHW · IMARC Group · IBISWorld · CPCA · ISAPS
Bain & Company · HBR · Etactics · Dialog Health
LionShare Marketing · PMC
Practice analysis data from Routiq platform insights. All data anonymised and presented as industry patterns. February 2026.