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Hospitals give the wealthy a leg up

Executive physicals save time, provide best in diagnostics

Joyzelle Davis, Rocky Mountain News

Published April 4, 2007 at midnight

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A balcony with a sweeping view of the Rocky Mountains, 350-thread-count linens, flat- screen TV and a PC with a broadband Internet connection.

If that sounds more like accommodations at the Four Seasons than a hospital room, that's the idea. The Pavilion Suites at the University of Colorado Hospital are just the latest example of regional and national hospitals catering to the booming niche of health care for the affluent.

Rose Medical Center recently created a private VIP entrance for plastic surgery patients and offers a concierge service to run errands during recuperation.

At a time when hospitals are strained by cutbacks in reimbursement rates from private and government insurance programs, high-end patients either pay out of pocket or have their tab picked up by their employer as a corporate perk.

For services such as a comprehensive physical, the bill can range from $1,500 to upward of $7,000, depending on the tests selected.

The extra attention is worth it for these wealthy patients. Brad Moody, president of Denver- based Moody Insurance Agency, uses the University Hospital's Executive Health program so he can knock out a year's worth of doctor's appointments in the course of a morning.

"Not having to wait around is worth something," said Moody, 39.

Known as executive physicals, these services combine cutting-edge medical diagnostics with hours of personal attention from teams of specialists. The examinations usually involve blood work, treadmill stress tests, hearing and vision exams, and body composition analysis. Equal attention is invested in the patient's comfort: They wear plush bathrobes rather than flimsy paper gowns, choose between heart-healthy oatmeal and eggs Benedict for breakfast, and have access to private office facilities throughout the day.

Such thorough work-overs used to be the exclusive territory of the Cooper Clinic in Dallas and Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., where well-heeled patients fly in for annual physicals.

In recent years the concept has spread to health care institutions across the country, including University Hospital, Centura's Avista Adventist Hospital and Health One's Rose Medical Center.

"As physicians, we're all too often reactive and treating medical problems when they occur," said Dr. Richard Abrams, who founded Rose's Center for Preventive Medicine about a year ago. "The whole concept of prevention is based on the idea that we can recognize a disease, or at least a risk factor, at an early enough stage that it can be treated."

In the past two weeks alone in Rose's prevention program, Abrams has diagnosed early stage cancers of the kidney and lung that were caught soon enough to treat, as well as a benign brain tumor.

Some consumer advocates question whether executive physicals contribute to an increasingly class-based health care system, especially at a time when companies are cutting benefits for their rank-and-file employees.

Abrams agreed that everyone should have access to preventative screening and said he's tried to make the program as affordable as possible. Not all of his patients are executives, he said. Some are of more modest means who set aside the money because they're worried about their family medical history.

"My fondest hope would be that insurance would recognize the power of prevention, but so far that hasn't happened," Abrams said.

Many companies looking to lure sought-after executives or prevent a CEO's sudden illness from creating a leadership vacuum think its a wise financial investment.

"They see the preventative good in catching the guy who is about to have a heart attack," said Linda Harris, who manages the Avista Adventist executive health program. "Some of these patients are so focused on work that it's not unusual to find a 55-year-old who hasn't seen a doctor in eight years."

Navin Dimond, head of hotel owner and operator Stonebridge Cos., has had executive physicals at University Hospital for the past four years. For him, the primary benefit is the unlimited time to talk with a doctor - a concept that might seem alien to patients who are accustomed to being rushed out the door in 15 minutes.

"The setting is a little more relaxed, and you can build up a rapport," said Dimond, 44. "If you can't be completely candid with your physician, then your physician can't completely help you."

Dr. Steven Kick, medical director of University Hospital's executive program, said both doctors and patients are frustrated with how little time they have for actual conversations during a standard appointment.

"Whether you're talking about cholesterol or hormone replacement therapy, these conversations are complicated and need time," he said.

As baby boomers take more interest in their health, the number of institutions offering executive physicals is expected to continue to grow.

Highlands Ranch resident -Terri Ary and her husband, Brian, decided last month to go through the University Hospital program because they had just turned 40 and were starting to see their parents encounter health issues.

"We realized our own mortality," said Ary, a mother of a 6-year-old and 3-year-old. "To get the kind of in-depth diagnosis and level of care, it's nearly impossible to do on your own."

University of Colorado Hospital Executive Health program

Physician examination and consultation

LAB TESTING

• Comprehensive metabolic panel

• Complete blood count

• Lipid profile

• Urinalysis

• Thyroid functioning screening

• Prostate specific antigen (for men over 40)

DIAGNOSTIC TESTING

• Hearing test

• Treadmill stress test for calcium scoring CT

• EKG

• Digital mammogram (for women)

• Pap smear (for women)

SPECIALIST CONSULTATIONS

• Ophthalmology consultation - fully dilated eye exam/ glaucoma test

• Nutritional consultation

PRICE

• Men: $2,685

• Women: $2,850

OPTIONAL ADD-ONS

• Abdominal ultrasound: $625

• Bone density: $375

• Colonoscopy: $2,000

• Class 2 and Class 3 FAA exam for pilots: $125

• Dermatology consultation: $275

Rose Center for Preventive Medicine

Physician examination and consultation

DIAGNOSTIC TESTING

• Comprehensive metabolic panel

• Complete blood count

• Lipid profile

• Urinalysis

• Thyroid functioning screening

• 64-slice CT scan

• Abdominal ultrasound

• Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring

• Bone density testing

• Hearing test

COST

• $2,700 to $3,000

or 303-954-2514.