Can consultation prices and procedures be disclosed?

Until some time ago, it was forbidden the health professional or clinics, the disclosure of values of consultations and procedures in Brazil.

This means that the act of disclosing on the internet (social networks, for example), or in any other communication channel, the prices of their services provided, was prohibited, however, today things have changed in the Brazilian scenario. News published in Brazil's Federal Official Gazette, we can see that:

Resolution No. 2,226, of March 21/2019, revokes CFM Resolution No. 1,649/2002, articles 4 and 5 and its sole paragraph of CFM Resolution No. 2,170 / 2017 and amends article 72 of the Code of Medical Ethics, which prohibit discounts in medical fees through discount cards and the disclosure of prices for medical appointments exclusively internally.

With this change, health professionals and clinics, in general, can disclose the values practiced by them, either for a consultation or in some procedure. The practice that was previously prohibited in Brazil has always generated a lot of doubt among professionals in the area, but now we know that this disclosure can be made, as long as it continues to obey some old rules.

As an example of one of the rules that have not been changed, we can mention the one that refers to unauthorized expressions. It is quite common in advertisements or even in the description of the profile of companies, on social networks, to observe the terms "the best", "the most efficient", "guaranteed result" or others with the same meaning. However, in medical marketing, these expressions are prohibited.

In other words, with this new Resolution, nothing prevents the disclosure of values, as long as it is done correctly. For example, in Brazil, the practice of applying botox injection is only allowed to Biomedical, Dermatologists, Plastic surgeons, and any Dental Surgeon.

Let's say you are an expert in one of these areas, and decide to carry out a promotion by applying discounts of up to 30% without the original value of the procedure. You can use marketing techniques to attract patients, but you should never use phrases like "the lowest price in town" or "the cheapest botox in the region" in your campaign.

Another point to be highlighted is that no matter how trained and renowned health professionals exist, it is known that each organism reacts differently, so no matter how great the chances of success are, it is forbidden to assure the patient or the patient's family guaranteed results.

In this same context, any type of advertising where designations, symbols, figures, drawings, images, slogans, and any arguments that suggest a guarantee of results is also prohibited. The disclosure of prices in interviews is also prohibited, as according to the Medical Affairs Disclosure Commission (CODAME), interviews are for information purposes only.

It is worth remembering that this change is not intended to compel health professionals to disclose the value of their services, not least because many prefer not to expose themselves to colleagues or competitors, and some even consider this practice unethical, which makes such disclosure is at the discretion of each one, doing their marketing as they see fit.

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