EKG for the CEO.

• Author: Beers, Heather
• Position: Brief Article

Okay, admit it. When was the last time you took your executive self in for a physical exam? Five years? Seven? If you're like the majority of executives who visit the Fitness Institute at LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City, a wellness testing and counseling center designed for professionals, it may have been even longer.

"A lot of times, executives have the mentality that they are so busy, they won't take the time to come in for a comprehensive physical examination)," says Kent Ririe, director of the Fitness Institute. "A lot of people we see say they haven't had a physical in 10 to 15 years."

But preventive healthcare, or the combination of proactive medical screening and healthy lifestyle choices, can be an important component of an executive's overall productivity. And with options like the Fitness Institute, getting a complete checkup doesn't have to be time-consuming.

The Fitness Institute, which was established in 1980 by Intermountain Health Care (IHC) as a means of providing professional assessment and counseling in physical health, exercise, stress management and nutrition, allows busy professionals to get a comprehensive examination in just six hours. The same battery of tests through the typical medical channels would normally require about two days "with visits at different doctors' offices and labs," says Ririe.

Institute exams begin at 8:00 a.m., followed by lunch. Then clients meet one-on-one with licensed physicians, dieticians and exercise physiologists in a private setting to review test results and customize plans for achieving realistic, wellness goals. A therapeutic massage rounds out the visit, helping executives end the day on a relaxed note.

Taking advantage of resources like the Fitness Institute doesn't just save busy executives time. It can also save their lives.

Ask Jon Huntsman Sr., chairman of the Salt Lake City-based Huntsman Corporation, who dropped in for a routine physical at the Fitness Institute a few years ago and discovered he had cancer. Early detection was critical in arresting the disease, and in a written statement about the Fitness Institute, Huntsman says, "I don't think there's any question that it (the Fitness Institute's medical exam) saved my life."

Okland Construction, a Salt Lake City general contracting and construction management company, is one of many Utah employers that invest in sending its salaried employees to the Fitness Institute. At approximately $700 per employee, Okland feels the...