New practice-management software created by cosmetic doctor

Cosmetic doctor Dr Askari Townshend has designed and launched a new clinic software system, having been disappointed with other practice-management systems.

Collums is a cloud-based system designed by Dr Askari and developed by the person behind supermarket Waitrose’s online shopping platform.

Having struggled to find clinic software that was designed specifically for aesthetic practitioners and was simple to use, Dr Askari said he decided to create his own system. Collums features electronic notes and consent forms, full payment integration via Square to enable card-less checkout and online booking.  

Square payment integration means clinics can use a wireless card terminal to accept all cards and Apple/ Google Pay payments, removing the need for daily reconciliation. It also saves patients’ card details at the point of booking to protect against loss of payment from no-shows.

“My old software was difficult to use and complicated – I was spending too much of my time troubleshooting software problems rather than focusing on my patients and business. The only way to get the kind of software I needed was to use my experience and build it myself, said Dr Askari.

“I’ve designed Collums with a focus on simplicity – user journeys are quick and intuitive, reducing the cost and time of training and user errors. It means that practitioners can get back to doing what they do best – looking after their patients.”

The software has been developed and tested over two-and-a-half-years, with Dr Askari trialling it in his own clinic Askinology in London. Dr Nestor Demosthenous has also signed up to use Collums at Dr Nestor’s Medical Cosmetic Centre in Edinburgh.

 Edinburgh was recently named the best city to live in in the world for healthy skin.