A good health advisory partner also helps your clients develop a health strategy and practical plan to improve their health at every age. That could mean working with a nutritionist to create a healthy diet to mitigate heart disease risks, or working with a trainer to engage in an appropriate exercise program to build bone health, maintain ideal body weight and decrease stress.
Just as in the financial arena, there are key needs that
must be met to create the best health advisory support for your
clients. Keep these factors in mind as you explore the available
options.
Access is essential: Your clients need an easy, reliable
way to access top quality care anywhere in the world. Your health
advisory partner should provide facilitated access to a wide range of
medical centers of excellence in the U.S. as well as be able to provide
your clients with rapid access to quality care overseas.
Knowledge is power: Your partner should have an expert, dedicated
research staff that can investigate any health topic and provide
scientifically objective, evidence-based information in a format that
your clients can understand. They should be able to provide the latest
information about medical technologies, available clinical trials,
treatments in development, new and emerging health risks around the
globe and the complete spectrum of treatment options including
complementary and alternative medicine.
Time is money: Your
clients do not have time to effectively manage their health and many
forgo needed screenings and preventive care that could help them
protect their health and avoid serious illnesses. A good health
advisory partner takes that role on their behalf, freeing them to focus
on business.
Accurate information is vital: Your health advisory
partner should gather, review and consolidate your client's complete
health record. A comprehensive, accurate record that can be shared with
all treating physicians must be delivered electronically to physicians
anywhere in the world to ensure that clients receive the most
appropriate, most well-coordinated care.
One size never fits all:
The best patient-physician relationships are as unique as the people
involved. That is why it is important that your health advisory partner
can provide your clients with access to many different physicians and
medical centers. In addition, not all centers of excellence excel at
treating every condition, so it's valuable to be able to provide
facilitated access to a range of centers rather than being tied to a
single resource.
Be prepared: Your clients need a health
partner who has an effective plan in place that can be quickly
mobilized in an emergency. Necessities are premier medical evacuation,
a carefully screened list of health care providers across the globe,
international medical insurance to ensure cashless access to care
overseas, and a dedicated team member who can coordinate care and
communication between physicians and with your client.
Good Health, Good Business
Becoming
a valued resource for your clients' health not only benefits them, it
also helps strengthen and expand your relationships with existing
clients and sets you apart from other financial advisors in the eyes of
potential clients. It can be a powerful advantage in a very competitive
field.
The best advice is to review all the available health advisory partner options and choose the one that can offer you and your clients the most comprehensive, highest quality services and support. You will be helping your clients strive to achieve their best health and making it easier for them to remain fully focused on the business at hand.
Dr. Miles J. Varn is the chief medical officer of PinnacleCare (www.PinnacleCare.com), a leading private health advisory firm. He joined PinnacleCare after 15 years of innovation and leadership at Inova Fairfax Hospital, a Level 1 trauma center with 75,000 patient visits per year. In 2004, Dr. Varn was awarded the Inova Health System's Service Excellence Legend Award for extraordinary patient care.