A middle-aged top corporate executive came to Centre Médicale Internationale (CMI) one morning for his annual medical checkup, and proceeded on a business trip the same day.

As soon as the well-trained CMI clinic staff noticed one unusually abnormal blood test result, the man was promptly called back for confirmatory tests and was later admitted to a hospital for the necessary treatment.

Such meticulous attention to detail and personalized, professional medical service are what make CMI stand apart from the rest of the diagnostic facilities and outpatient clinics in the metro right now.

For the most part, the executive checkup, which profiles general health through a physical examination and basic diagnostic tests, is a routine procedure typically met with groans and dread. There is fasting involved, urine and stool samples to collect, and the fear of finding something amiss in test results.

As for the executive checkup packages, many do not take a person’s age or specific risk factors into consideration, and include tests that not everybody needs.

Necessary testing

“Patients also tend to get executive checkups in different hospitals every year. So there’s no continuity, no personalized health care, and no follow-up between tests,” says Dr. Anna Kristina Gutierrez-Rubio, CMI medical director and vice president for medical affairs.

“Repeated testing does not make you healthier,” she emphasizes. “What you really need is someone who will sit down and talk to you about your general health and risk factors, what is needed for your age group, your family history and your personal health history, and do the necessary testing for them.”

Unless you have certain risk factors, you do not need to undergo an executive checkup annually, says Dr. Rubio. “Ideally, it serves as an initial screening, especially for patients who have never had an executive checkup or annual physical before, or whose last visit with a doctor was with their pediatrician.”

CMI’s executive checkup, which falls under its Executive Wellness and Preventive Medicine Programs, is an outpatient procedure that lasts from two to four hours and involves a primary care specialist conducting a physical examination as well as a thorough inquiry into a patient’s personal health history.

Once available, test results are sent to a patient via password-protected email, and a follow-up consultation is scheduled. The primary care specialist discusses the findings of the test, and the patient can ask anything regarding the results or his or her health status.

Prevention

Preventing diseases from progressing—or even happening in the first place—is the goal of CMI’s executive checkup. “We really want to catch adults when they’re in their 20s so we can do interventions early,” says Dr. Rubio.

Establishing a patient-doctor relationship is another goal. “What we are trying to avoid is leaving patients wondering what to do with their test results, or interpreting these results by themselves,” she says. “It is really important to form a relationship with a physician, someone who can plan your health journey with you, and help you decide how to get from where you are today to where you want to be in the next few months or years.”

CMI’s doctors—over 130 highly qualified medical specialists from more than 30 disciplines—ensure that a patient gets professional diagnosis, advice and treatment.

Packages

CMI’s Prime Health Essential Packages are tailored to meet the wellness and preventive health needs of an individual based on one’s age. The package for 19 to 39 years old is designed to help active adults achieve their optimal levels of health and fitness.

There is also a package for those in the 40-to-49 age bracket, which aims to identify and address potential health issues to allow for early detection, treatment or prevention.

Lastly, for those 50 years old and above, the corresponding Prime Health Essential Package aims to assess the individual’s overall health status, in which medical concerns are identified and timely treatment, as needed, is initiated.

Overall, CMI’s Prime Health Essential Packages can be personalized, with the individual’s needs and history in mind, for them to stay healthy and active. Rubio cites the case of a gentleman in the aviation industry whose executive checkup included a consult with a dermatologist for his constant sun exposure, as well as a hearing test to rule out hearing loss from the deafening sound of plane engines.

Then there was the family of four, whose wellness package was so comprehensive, it included a house call from the CMI primary care specialist, who helped them identify ways to be healthy at home.

Dr. Rubio recently met with a mother and her college-age son who went to CMI together for their respective checkups. They were so pleased with their experience—from the thorough interpretation of their test results to the attentiveness to their needs—that “the mother said that when her son comes home from college for Christmas vacation, one of the things he’s going to do is see us for a follow-up,” she says.

“Half the battle is getting people to be proactive about their health,” says Dr. Rubio. “At CMI, they don’t feel rushed or like a number in a factory. We offer a very personalized service. Here, executive checkups, among our other comprehensive services, are not mere transactions. They are the beginning of lasting health care relationships.” —CONTRIBUTED

Centre Médicale Internationale is at 2/F, Ore Central Bldg., 31st corner 9th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. Tel. 88121264, 88161035 to 36; visit www.cmi.care