Microwave technology for verrucae is a sound investment

A fantastic revenue generating device

A COMMON conundrum facing podiatrists on a daily basis is the sheer number of patients suffering from verrucae and warts, compared with a chronic lack of effective and pain-free treatments.

However, a pioneering microwave treatment using Emblation's Swift® device has not only rapidly established itself in the sector for its efficacy – it is also proving a business boon for many of the professionals using it.

Among them is podiatrist Anna Cooper Hall, Clinical Director at Farnham Foot Clinic, who trialled Swift and was so impressed with the patient outcomes she now operates two across her clinics.

However, the Swift device has delivered more than a breakthrough treatment option. It has also created a lucrative new income stream for the clinics.

Anna said: "Swift works. It is an easy-to-sell product and podiatrists should be excited and curious to explore this new offering. I would not hesitate to purchase a third unit. It really does give your clinic the edge in the podiatry sector.

"As we were in the first cohort to trial the device, naturally doubts crept in. However, it has proved an exceptional investment that benefits patients and brings huge advancement to our clinic."

Anna purchased the Swift device in 2016 and had recouped that investment in just three months. The clinic offers a minimum three treatment package, costing the patient just under "450. Since deploying the first Swift device, her team has treated 470 patients, carrying out 1400 treatments.

She added: "No treatment compares to Emblation's Swift device when it comes to verrucae and warts. It doesn't generate any smoke or plume, doesn't involve post treatment dressings and doesn't restrict the level of activity that you can take part in like other invasive methods such as needling or freezing.

"With Swift, the patient can carry on as normal. Naturally, there is an aesthetic element that comes along with verrucae and warts too. People want to get rid of them fast, particularly if the wart appears somewhere visible such as your hands.

"That's what makes Emblation's Swift such a fantastic revenue generating device – the fact that it actually delivers effective treatment to patients and is simple to use.

"Patients were surprised at first by the higher price point for the multiple treatment package in comparison to other singular treatments they had tried in the past. Ultimately, they are more than willing to pay, having often struggled with verrucae and warts for years and spent hundreds or thousands of pounds on other non-effective treatments."

At Farnham Foot Clinic, the majority of patients require three treatments, however, depending on a patient's response and the size of the verruca or wart, some may require four or more treatments.

Before purchasing the Swift device, Anna's clinic had actually stopped advertising and undertaking the treatment of verrucae and warts as there wasn't a remedy available that she and her team could use confidently.

Anna said: "It felt unethical to charge patients for those treatments that didn't deliver. So, when we introduced the Swift device into the clinic, there was a lot of anticipation from patients and practitioners alike.

"Purchasing a Swift device really is an investment in how your clinic is perceived by patients and other practitioners. The device has helped us to portray ourselves as a modern, forward-thinking clinic that delivers the latest, pioneering technology.

"A member of the Emblation team ensured a smooth transition for us. They have patient marketing material which we found useful and the device itself is small and doesn't take up much space."

As well as an initial, in-person visit from a member of the Emblation team to demonstrate using Swift, online training sessions were held to ensure that all of Farnham Foot Clinic's podiatrists had a firm understanding of how to operate the device.

Earlier this year Emblation's Swift system passed 100,000 treatments in the UK, with more than 1000 practitioners now offering the treatment across 400 clinics. The treatment is non-invasive, requires no dressing and causes no residual pain.

Having now firmly established microwave treatments for verrucae and warts, Emblation is also growing its research and development capability to treat other conditions.

For more information about Farnham Foot Clinic visit their website https://farnhamfootclinic.co.uk/