Today we’d like to introduce you to Luis Vizcarra-Falla.
Luis, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Being originated from a poverty-stricken neighborhood of Peru. I spent my life contemplating of; traveling around the world, going to the moon, becoming a doctor, a physicist, a professional soccer player, a chess master, and even a businessman. Aspiring to one day live in America, “the land of opportunity”.
At the age of eighteen, I was accepted to the “Merchants Marine School.” Finally, my daydreams about traveling around the world were becoming a reality. Until it hit me, I would have to spend most of my days sailing and not at home. It wasn’t exactly how I wanted to live my life.
I soon attended medical school at, The University of La Plata, Located in Argentina. I graduated as a Medical Doctor in 1993. I will never forget the pleasure of being surrounded by books, and the urge of wanting to read more raced inside me. Without leaving aside the great friendships I made and all of those mesmerizing parties we attended.
Soon after, I got married and went back to my roots. My first son was born in 1994. My salary as a doctor wasn’t enough to pay for my bills. I then found myself working in the mornings, and taking English classes in the afternoon. Studying for the USMLE exams while my family slept.
My life became tougher, hence I moved to Argentina with my family in 1995. I worked 7 days a week for several years, in order to provide for my family. I even completed a residency in anatomic pathology at Hospital Duran in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Argentina was the country where many of my dreams became a reality. Nevertheless, “The American Dream” didn’t vanish from my mind. It was until 2009, when I began my residency in Internal Medicine at Saint John’s Episcopal Hospital, in New York.
Has it been a smooth road?
Money has been my largest problem most of my life.
I have moved many times in several cities. I spent several years away from my family.
Atlanta is finally the place where I’m going to spend most of the rest of my life. It feels good to have a place you can call home.
One of the largest struggles I have overcome has been the language barrier.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Clinica Medica Doctor Vizcarra story. Tell us more about the business.
After I finished my residency in New York, I moved to Atlanta and worked at a hospital for a while. Then the businessman dream kicked in. The most logical business I could start was to open my own practice. The challenge was leaving a secure job at a hospital in order to open a doctors’ office at a moment when most other physicians were closing or selling their practices.
My best chance of success was to open a clinic with a marketing oriented towards the Hispanic population. There are more than half a million Hispanics living in Atlanta and surrounding areas. Thousands of potential patients who wanted to speak directly to their doctor in Spanish. I named my office “Clínica Médica Doctor Vizcarra”. It’s a long name but I just wanted to make sure that my patients get as much information as possible about the business right from the start.
Very soon and with the help of Google and Facebook I realized the strategy was correct. My patients not only come from Georgia but also from North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama and Florida. Running a business with employees, patients’ complaints, numerous phone calls, faxes, e-mails, good and bad days is not easy. I don’t have a degree in business administration so I try to keep it simple. I don’t spend more than what I make. The prices are competitive. Most of my patients are happy and they refer family and friends. The patients come to see me even if I don’t take their insurance.
My employees are simply amazing. They have been with me from the beginning and I’m pretty sure they can read my mind. My wife has always been very supportive and I use her as my portable hard drive for extra memory. I have recently hired my son Albert who wants to be a physician as well.
A couple of years ago, I introduced nonsurgical cosmetic procedures to my practice, “Piel Perfecta Norcross”. My first service was Botox®, then I continued by adding: fillers, sclerotherapy, micro needling, mesotherapy, and Platelets Rich Plasma (PRP). I have recently acquired “Pollogend Legend,” a machine designed to rejuvenate the skin and eliminate cellulite using an advanced technology known as “tripollar radiofrequency.” Many of my cosmetic patients are the same medical patients who already know me. Now I have a medical office and a medical spa under the same roof.
What people like about my clinic is that I’m always there, I speak Spanish and English, my prices are affordable and I care about them. I also have an amazing network of specialist to refer my patients when the cases are beyond my scope.
I just have turned 50 years old and I still have a bag full of dreams. My 3 kids are in college and hopefully grandkids will come soon. I had a little bit of luck and a lot of faith.
I enjoy coffee, a sip of red wine, a good movie and a delicious meal. My life hasn’t always been as planned. However, I’m happy today and I plan to keep pursuing happiness tomorrow.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
What would happen with the health industry over the next few years is a mystery. I only know that physicians are always needed. I hope I can keep my practice open until I retire. In the meantime, I will continue moving forward.
I see my business jet streaming alongside the cosmetic industry with all of its advancements.
Pricing:
- The office visit is 60 dollars.
Contact Info:
- Address: 6825 Jimmy Carter Blvd., Suite 1490 Norcross, GA 30071
- Website: www.clinicamedicadoctorvizcarra.com www.pielperfectanorcross.com
- Phone: 678-615-2565 | 678-580-3918
- Email: luisvizcarra7@gmail.com
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/clinicamedicadoctorvizcarra/
- Other: www.facebook.com/pielperfectanorcross/
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