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The Life-Saving Benefits of Executive Physicals in Concierge Medicine

The following was sent to me by Doug Pitman, MD, one of our SignatureMD-affiliated physicians.  Dr. Pitman’s account of the how the executive physicals he administers in his personalized healthcare practice save patient lives, really hit home for me.  This is why I am in the business that I am in.  Learn more at

www.signaturemd.com

My personalized healthcare practice is now 90 days old, and we have already proven the life-saving benefits of the executive physical. As I had emphasized during the enrollment period, the executive physical exam would be the cornerstone of my practice and I would strive to let nothing “fall through the cracks.” I firmly believe this goal is attainable because I now have the time to focus on a small number of patients and their health concerns, their physical and emotional needs, and their wellness. After performing thirty executive physicals I can say that the cornerstone of the practice is firmly in place.

So far, three asymptomatic men have “failed” the graded exercise test and have been referred to cardiologists for further testing. One 55 year old man who appeared healthy and fit subsequently had two stents put in his right coronary artery for critical stenoses. According to the cardiologist this patient had a 90% blockage of his artery and would have most likely occluded the blood vessel within weeks—resulting in significant heart damage. I do not believe that I would have been able to detect this individual’s extreme cardiac risk had I been operating under the standard care model of a high volume family practice.

The executive physical takes two hours and includes a full history and physical, comprehensive laboratories, skin cancer screening and treatment, and a graded exercise stress test. I follow up with patients a week later for an hour-long consultation at my office or at their home to review the findings and make recommendations. Patients and I follow up on a quarterly basis to gauge progress on their exercise prescriptions, diet plans, etc.

As it turns out the extended time spent with each patient is the critical factor; it enables me to really get to know my patients and gain insight into problems that might not be discussed in a thirty minute encounter. It allows us to fine tune medication doses, diet, and exercise plans, and delve into physical and emotional concerns that inevitably arise.

My patients, who are generally quite healthy and prevention minded and average about 60 years of age, have been enthusiastic about performing the graded exercise test. In addition, they are interested in changing their exercise habits based on the personalized exercise prescription they receive during their consultation based on their performance.

I look forward to continuing the executive physical exams on the rest of my patients in the next six months and on all those patients that continue to sign up for my personalized healthcare practice in the future.

About the Author

I am the President of SignatureMD, www.SignatureMD.com, and have devoted the last three years to helping physicians improve their professional satisfaction, lifestyle, and level of patient care, by partnering with them through the process of converting to and operating as a concierge physician. Prior to starting SignatureMD, I ran the medical division of a large national insurance carrier. Due to this first-hand experience on the insurance side of our industry; I know that the American healthcare system is broken. Our company’s mission is to help keep primary care physicians in the healthcare system by improving their career satisfaction without displacing patients. In fact, our affiliated physicians are finally able to deliver exceptional care.

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