Bosley Medical Violations

You may have seen their infomercials or ads and thought, "This seems too good to be true". Well as it turns out, your natural instincts were right and your skepticism warranted. According to their own figures the Bosley Medical Group (BMG) spent almost a third of its revenue on advertising and promotion to lure new patients into its hair restoration clinics. With all of the paid propaganda it can be difficult for a prospective patient to unravel the truth about this organization. In reality, Bosley Medical has been the subject of numerous patient complaints, lawsuits, and violations relating to their advertising, medical procedures, and business practices.

1. Medical Board Violations. Larry Lee Bosley has been the subject of administrative and judicial discipline for almost 30 years. His medical license has been put on probation or surrendered in at least 20 states. In 1980 his medical license was suspended for dishonest and harmful advertising. In 1981 the medical board filed to revoke probation against Bosley for acts of dishonesty and corruption in advertising. In 1983 the LA Superior Court entered a judgment against Bosley suspending his license for one year. A Los Angeles D.A.'s letter in connection with the 1996 consumer protection lawsuit declared: "Although Bosley has been given every opportunity to rectify his deceptive business practices so as to comply with the law (and his probationary terms), and despite the risk to his medical certificate, Bosley has persisted in misleading the public." In 2002 the California Medical Board filed an accusation and petition against Larry Lee Bosley to revoke his probation. In 2005 an Administrative Law Judge ordered his license revoked, and then stayed in exchange for probation extension for prescription drug violations and failure to keep adequate patient records. Bosley was ordered to enroll in a course on ethics.

2. False and Misleading Advertising. In 1996 the California Attorney General, the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office and Consumer Protection Division brought forth a consumer protection lawsuit against Bosley Medical. This was prompted by the medical board's extensive investigation of of Larry Lee Bosley and BMG based upon numerous consumer complaints alleging false and misleading advertising and medical malpractice. In The People of the State of California v. Bosley Medical Group, Bosley was fined almost $650,000. The D.A.'s office alleged that BMG engaged in a widescale advertising campaign heavily based on false and misleading representations and found evidence that BMG used retouched and false "after" photographs in its advertisements- hairlines were altered or "airbrushed". The photos that appeared in a brochure as "after procedure" photos were actually taken of a Bosley Medical employee who had never had any procedures done. Additional allegations included misrepresentations of pain, scarring, and results, and non-doctors performing procedures. In 2002 a former Bosley Medical doctor testified that they continued to engaged in illegal conduct and violate laws despite the medical board's probationary terms and stipulations put in place after the People v. Bosley consumer protection lawsuit.

3. Poor Results. Dateline NBC aired an report titled: Splitting Hairs; undercover investigation of Bosley Medical Clinics. The report, which included interviews with former employees and patients, told about botched surgeries and broken promises. Interviews with former Bosley employees revealed that there was a big gap between what Bosley Medical sold and what it delivered.

4. Low-balling Costs and "First Starts". (from court documents) A Consumer Protection Division letter stated that BMG's primary goal was convincing potential customers to get into the surgical chair where they became a First Start. "First starts are very lucrative to BMG because initial work is often unsatisfactory to patients, and they are hooked into long-term financial commitments that often exceed the initially represented costs". Patients have sometimes been told that it will cost tens of thousands of dollars more to treat them. "They tell you that occasionally their diagnosis has to be revised somewhat, and there's 'touch up work' they call it."- explained a former patient. How much touch-up work did they end up doing on him? Seven touch-up surgeries, seven different procedures and $50,000 later. "That was the idea" concurs Dr. Stan Szaslo, a former BMG surgeon. "Get them in. Get them started. Get them hooked."

* MHR may be known to the public for a recent episode of “Hogan Knows Best” (season # 4, episode no. 34) where they attempted to convince Terry "Hulk" Hogan on the benefits of undergoing their surgery (despite the fact that he had already been told by others he wasn't a good candidate for surgery). Hogan seemed unwilling to buy their pitch.

This material concerns false advertising and misconduct by the Bosley Medical Group, whose website is located at Bosley.com



	News: Bosley buys MHR: In recent years, 9 out of 10 patients have chosen to go to other doctors and medical groups besides Bosley for their treatment. In order to try and increase its market share Bosley has made a deal to take over a business called Medical Hair Restoration. MHR's business practices, including the use of unlicensed consultants, have also been criticized. It's about the bottom line:* The Aderans Co. investors meeting (1/10/08) expressed alarm over declining profits and "lower income and difficult market conditions for Bosley and MHR". Their recommendations: "To turn the situation around, Bosley is emphasizing advertising and promotions, targeted marketing and enhanced training for staff". This may translate into even more aggressive sales tactics. For MHR, "the focus will be on more attractive advertising and promotions and an increase in prices."	AS
	Women patients beware: This year (2008) has already brought numerous reports from recent Bosley patients, including many women, saying that they are extremely unhappy with their results and are far worse off than they were before their procedures even from a cosmetic standpoint (not to mention the physical damage). They say Bosley's staff failed to warn them about the side effects including damage to their preexisting hair. Be warned that even if you are assured by a "Counselor" that you are a good candidate for surgery this may be a sales tactic to sell you a procedure. Most Bosley "Counselors" have no formal medical credentials whatsoever and are not qualified to give out medical advice. A recent WebMD article: "According to experts a very small percentage of women are candidates for hair transplant surgery. About 2% to 5% of women with hair loss will benefit from this type of procedure." - Source: American Hair Loss Association

	Introduction: 10 things you should know about Bosley Medical You may have seen their infomercials or ads and thought, "This seems too good to be true". Well as it turns out, your natural instincts were right and your skepticism warranted. According to their own figures the Bosley Medical Group (BMG) spent almost a third of its revenue on advertising and promotion to lure new patients into its hair restoration clinics. With all of the paid propaganda it can be difficult for a prospective patient to unravel the truth about this organization. In reality, Bosley Medical has been the subject of numerous patient complaints, lawsuits, and violations relating to their advertising, medical procedures, and business practices. 1. Medical Board Violations. Larry Lee Bosley has been the subject of administrative and judicial discipline for almost 30 years. His medical license has been put on probation or surrendered in at least 20 states. In 1980 his medical license was suspended for dishonest and harmful advertising. In 1981 the medical board filed to revoke probation against Bosley for acts of dishonesty and corruption in advertising. In 1983 the LA Superior Court entered a judgment against Bosley suspending his license for one year. A Los Angeles D.A.'s letter in connection with the 1996 consumer protection lawsuit declared: "Although Bosley has been given every opportunity to rectify his deceptive business practices so as to comply with the law (and his probationary terms), and despite the risk to his medical certificate, Bosley has persisted in misleading the public." In 2002 the California Medical Board filed an accusation and petition against Larry Lee Bosley to revoke his probation. In 2005 an Administrative Law Judge ordered his license revoked, and then stayed in exchange for probation extension for prescription drug violations and failure to keep adequate patient records. Bosley was ordered to enroll in a course on ethics. 2. False and Misleading Advertising. In 1996 the California Attorney General, the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office and Consumer Protection Division brought forth a consumer protection lawsuit against Bosley Medical. This was prompted by the medical board's extensive investigation of of Larry Lee Bosley and BMG based upon numerous consumer complaints alleging false and misleading advertising and medical malpractice. In The People of the State of California v. Bosley Medical Group, Bosley was fined almost $650,000. The D.A.'s office alleged that BMG engaged in a widescale advertising campaign heavily based on false and misleading representations and found evidence that BMG used retouched and false "after" photographs in its advertisements- hairlines were altered or "airbrushed". The photos that appeared in a brochure as "after procedure" photos were actually taken of a Bosley Medical employee who had never had any procedures done. Additional allegations included misrepresentations of pain, scarring, and results, and non-doctors performing procedures. In 2002 a former Bosley Medical doctor testified that they continued to engaged in illegal conduct and violate laws despite the medical board's probationary terms and stipulations put in place after the People v. Bosley consumer protection lawsuit. 3. Poor Results. Dateline NBC aired an report titled: Splitting Hairs; undercover investigation of Bosley Medical Clinics. The report, which included interviews with former employees and patients, told about botched surgeries and broken promises. Interviews with former Bosley employees revealed that there was a big gap between what Bosley Medical sold and what it delivered. 4. Low-balling Costs and "First Starts". (from court documents) A Consumer Protection Division letter stated that BMG's primary goal was convincing potential customers to get into the surgical chair where they became a First Start. "First starts are very lucrative to BMG because initial work is often unsatisfactory to patients, and they are hooked into long-term financial commitments that often exceed the initially represented costs". Patients have sometimes been told that it will cost tens of thousands of dollars more to treat them. "They tell you that occasionally their diagnosis has to be revised somewhat, and there's 'touch up work' they call it."- explained a former patient. How much touch-up work did they end up doing on him? Seven touch-up surgeries, seven different procedures and $50,000 later. "That was the idea" concurs Dr. Stan Szaslo, a former BMG surgeon. "Get them in. Get them started. Get them hooked." Next: Introduction Part Two * MHR may be known to the public for a recent episode of “Hogan Knows Best” (season # 4, episode no. 34) where they attempted to convince Terry "Hulk" Hogan on the benefits of undergoing their surgery (despite the fact that he had already been told by others he wasn't a good candidate for surgery). Hogan seemed unwilling to buy their pitch.

This material concerns false advertising and misconduct by the Bosley Medical Group, whose website is located at Bosley.com