Many Triangle executives think they are too busy to take care of their health. They have undoubtedly never visited the Executive Health Center at the American Institute of Healthcare & Fitness (AIHF). The center's founders – Matthew M. Person III and Dr. James Stevens – designed the Executive Health Center with an eye toward the unique health and wellness needs of high-stressed and over-worked executives. Knowing the importance of every minute to an executive, the center is designed around making the most out of its time constraints. "In an eight hour day here, people get access to a very intensive array of services," says Dr. Stevens, AIHF president and chief medical officer. "The program is meant to be a very efficient way for – very busy people to get a snapshot of their health in a moment in time." Validation of the program's design came when its first corporate client, Cisco Systems, Inc., enrolled 20 of its executives from across the country into the program.
As part of the program, each client gets a thorough discussion of his or her personal and family medical history, lifestyle habits, job demands and goals. This is followed by a comprehensive medical evaluation by a team of specialists. It includes, among other things: a fitness/wellness evaluation, exercise profile, nutritional assessment, lab work, dermatological and audiologist screenings and even assistance with stress and time management. The assessment is followed by an individualized nutrition and fitness program designed by an executive wellness team consisting of a physician team leader, nutritionist, exercise specialist and – most importantly – the client. The final step is client support, including 24/7 open-access sched¬uling to an executive health physician, including telephone access to medical advice and prescriptions while traveling throughout the United States and abroad.
The center's comprehensive approach is made possible by its location. It is in the midst of a 180,000-square-foot health and wellness center that houses 17 different medical care providers, a 35,000-square-foot wellness center, a nutritional center, a spa and an upscale café. Opened in 2007, executive clients routinely report better health and enriched job performance. Like the rest of AIHF, the executive health center is based on a principle of comfort and convenience. "You won't think this looks like a health care facility when you come in the door," Dr. Stevens says. "There is a 16-acre wooded lot with a pond in the back. The appointments and furnishings are all very much made to make people feel 'well'. It is not at all a sterile environment. The private, picturesque medical suites at the Executive Health Center provide such amenities as wireless Internet access, full baths and showers and comfortable rooms in which to relax."
Like the Executive Health Center, the entire AIHF facility is designed to promote primary care and wellness. The 17 distinct health care modalities provided on site are specifically designed to be prevention-focused. "We molded the center with wellness, rather than illness, as a starting point," Dr. Stevens says. "If I can take you from birth on and help you maintain a healthy lifestyle, you are less likely to develop a chronic disease. You may, but it is less likely." It is no coincidence that there is only one provider group for each health care specialty. "We want to maximize cooperation and minimize competition," Dr. Stevens says. "What we do in our discussions with potential providers is emphasize our philosophy of health care integration." Cooperation is also fostered through two work groups: Integration (clinical) and Operations (business). Last year, the Integration work group developed a comprehensive six-week diabetes management lecture series that included presenta¬tions by family practice physicians and specialists in ophthalmology, nutrition, exercise and psychology. Planning is underway for a similar series on breast cancer. Such programs are difficult, if not impossible, to orchestrate with providers strewn throughout the Triangle.
Integration also happens informally between physicians who eat lunch together or walk to each other's office to get medical records rather than sending a fax downtown. "Since we're all in the same building and have a café, we meet and see each other routinely," Dr. Stevens says. "We naturally develop a stronger clinical relationship due to co-location - and that leads to better patient care."