Executive Medicine - The Key to Peak Performance in the Boardroom

Did you know that senior executives are at increased risk of disease and health problems? That’s right – as many as 73 percent of executives are sedentary, predisposing them to life-threatening conditions like diabetes and heart disease. Not to mention, 40 percent were obese (1). This isn’t surprising given the intense physical and mental demands of navigating corporate at a high level – but something must be done.

Knowing these statistics, it’s essential that executives prioritize their health in addition to their career. Doing so ensures peak performance in high-stress environments, allowing you to lead effectively in boardroom challenges. The key is executive medicine – a personalized healthcare service designed specifically for high-achieving and busy individuals.

The Demands of Executive Life

As an executive, you are prone to unique health challenges that most other people don’t have to face, including:

• Stress. Executives must bear the weight of high-stakes decisions, all while balancing a multitude of responsibilities. Over time, this pressure can wear on your physical and mental state, leading to prolonged stress. Stress can contribute to long-term health issues like burnout and high blood pressure.
• Long hours. Executives tend to work long hours with little to no breaks throughout their days. This means you may have to compromise on healthy lifestyle habits like exercise, sleep, and proper nutrition.
• Frequent travel. As an executive, you’re likely traveling often across time zones and on public transit. This can disrupt your circadian rhythms and sleep quality, which long-term may exacerbate certain health conditions.

Taken together, these health challenges for executives can hinder your performance on the job over time. With high stress, low sleep, and little time for relaxation, you may experience consequences such as impaired decision-making, low stamina, and poor leadership performance.

What is Executive Medicine?

If you’re a high-achieving exec, the answer to your health concerns may be executive medicine. Executive medicine is a specialized healthcare model that aims to prevent, treat, and manage the unique health concerns of high-performing individuals. Typically, this includes personalized health plans and concierge medicine services that provide:

• Comprehensive health assessments
• 24/7 access to medical professionals
• Customized wellness plans

A cornerstone of executive medicine is that treatment is personal and comprehensive, while also allowing for convenience and efficiency for busy individuals.

Key Components of Executive Medical Programs

We’ve touched on some of the basics of executive medical programs, but let’s delve a bit deeper into what you can expect from these services:

• Personalized health plans. Unfortunately, traditional medicine typically takes a one-size-fits-all approach, using the same clinical guidelines and approaches for everyone. The reality is that we’re all different, and for the best outcomes possible, we should take a more individualized approach to care. Executive medicine involves personalized health plans that tailor treatments to individual health profiles and risks, including the unique needs of high execs.
• Preventative testing. One of the best things you can do for your health is to avoid disease before it ever happens. However, preventative medicine isn’t always a priority with normal healthcare services because it is both timely and costly. Executive medicine, however, integrates preventative testing into its treatment plans. Tests and screenings can include things like cardiovascular testing, stress tests, and full body scans. Engaging in these services helps providers catch disease and intervene early before it ever impacts your performance.
• Lifestyle management. The importance of lifestyle interventions is often overlooked in traditional medicine. However, lifestyle management is a key component to personalized health strategies for executives. In addition to pharmacologic approaches, these plans cover nutrition, exercise, and stress management in the context of an executive’s busy schedule and life.

Benefits of Executive Medicine

Now you may be thinking, is executive medicine really worth it? The answer is yes. There are numerous benefits of executive medicine, the largest one being its impact on your long-term health. For example, you will likely experience:

• Improved energy. With the lifestyle adjustments you make according to your personalized health plan, you can increase vitality to sustain you during the long hours and days.
• Increased focus and cognitive function. Executive medicine can enable you to maintain mental clarity, allowing for sharper decision-making and increased performance.
• Lower stress. Close and immediate access to healthcare and mental health professionals allows you to navigate corporate with greater ease and resilience.
• Lower chronic disease risk. Preventative testing and screening addresses potential health issues before they become a real problem. With personalized health strategies, you may avoid chronic diseases like diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular conditions.
• Increased longevity. When you are proactively caring for your health and wellness, you ensure both a longer life and a higher quality one.
• Better performance. Maintaining your mental and physical health is key to being an effective leader.

How to Choose the Right Executive Medicine Program

While executive medicine can certainly put you on a path to better health, not all executive medicine programs are the same. You’ll want to do careful research when selecting a service, ensuring that it meets both your personal needs and professional demands. When evaluating programs, we recommend considering:

• Medical staff credentials. This may seem obvious – but seeing licensed providers with board certifications and relevant experience is paramount. High-quality care from seasoned professionals can make all the difference.
• Range of services. In order to address all aspects of your health, executive healthcare will need to have several different services. Look for programs that include preventative testing, personalized health plans, 24/7 access to medical providers, and lifestyle counseling.
• Privacy. As an executive, you likely handle sensitive information while also frequently being in the spotlight. Thus, ensuring that your health information remains confidential is essential.
• Accessibility. As executives are often on the go, accessibility to virtual as well as in-person services can ensure minimal disruptions to your busy schedule.

Choosing executive medicine programs isn’t easy, so here are our tips:

• Look at testimonials. What better what to evaluate a program than to hear from other patients? Reviews and testimonials from other executives can give you key insights into the quality and outcomes of a particular service.
• Get a consultation. Many programs will offer introductory consultations. In these appointments, you can get a good idea as to how thorough the program is while also understanding the types of services they provide.
• Ask for a sample plan. Personal health plans are at the center of most executive medicine programs. Request an example of a personalized health plan to get a feel for how customizable and individualized the services might be.
• Consider innovation. Executive medicine programs should provide you access to state-of-the-art medicine. In this day and age, this can include practices such as genetic testing, telemedicine, and advanced imaging.
• Long-term commitment. In order to reap the greatest benefits from executive medicine, frequent follow up and monitoring will be essential to know how your health changes over time. Ensure that the service extends beyond just the initial consultation and health plan.

The Future of Executive Medicine

Executive medicine is an exciting opportunity to take control of your health amidst a busy schedule and a high-stakes job. What’s even better is that there’s more to come – the technological innovations in healthcare like artificial intelligence can further augment your health.

• Telemedicine. Virtual consultations allow you to get immediate, convenient medical care on the go, which is especially important for frequent travel.
• Artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence has already caused one of the biggest shake-ups in the healthcare industry we’ve ever seen. Techniques such as AI health monitoring and diagnostics have the ability to detect disease long before any human would.
• Wearable health tech. Technology like smartwatches provide real-time insights and health metrics that can help you and your provider proactively track your health.
• Personalized medicine. Genetic testing and biomarker analysis allow us to understand your unique health profile right down to your DNA. This can assist providers in providing targeted and effective treatments for better outcomes.
• Mental health integration. Executive medicine knows that mental health is just as important to physical health when it comes to preventing stress and burnout.

Conclusion

In summary, executives are prone to unique health challenges that can impact their performance and leadership abilities. Thus, we must take an individualized and proactive approach when it comes to treating and managing high-level executives. Executive medicine gives these high-achieving individuals a space to prioritize their health in a way that works for them. These programs combine personalized health plans and advanced technology to provide convenient and accessible care. In doing so, execs can ensure peak performance in the boardroom and beyond.

Interested in executive medicine? Consider how an executive medical program could benefit you and your organization.

References

1. https://www.corporatewellnessmagazine.com/article/the-bulletproof-executive

Author

David J. Bauder, PA-C David Bauder, PA-C, is a certified physician assistant and the assistant medical director at Weight Loss and Vitality in Manassas and Alexandria, Virginia, Washington, DC; and Gaithersburg, MD. He enjoys helping patients optimize their physical and mental health to improve their overall well-being. He earned his physician assistant degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Afterward, he gained admission into the reputable graduate program for physician assistant studies at the University of Nebraska Health Science Center in Omaha. David has over 26 years of experience working as a physician assistant. He’s practiced in podiatry, family medicine, emergency medicine, general surgery, urgent care, and functional medicine.