In an ExecuNet Job Market Intelligence Report, 45 percent of executives surveyed say they are thinking of alternatives to their current position. The message is clear: Keeping top talent is becoming more challenging and companies have to do more to retain and attract executives.
When it comes to health care, companies may want to think beyond the traditional executive physical. One option gaining attention is providing key executives with a continuous connected care model with telemedicine at its core.
“The executive physical is a good idea, but its real value is in establishing the baseline for a far more comprehensive health risk management plan for your executives,” says Dan Carlin, MD, chief executive officer and founder of WorldClinic, a concierge telemedicine practice based in New Hampshire and serving a global clientele.
The improving economy and job market has put pressure on many companies to do more to recruit and retain the best executive talent. The executive outplacement firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas noted that CEO turnover has reached a six-year high in its 2014 report. Part of that recruitment is providing executives with all the tools necessary to perform at a high level.
The annual executive physical is usually hosted at a marquee medical center and has historically proven to be a valued asset for both executives and their companies. Instead of an executive having to set up multiple appointments with various doctors, taking time out of his or her work schedule, the busy executive gets all tests done at one place, at one time.
““The problem is, after that one or two days, there’s no follow-up,” says Bob Howe, managing director of HighNote Foundry, a business incubator, who has his executive physical every other year at the Mayo Clinic. “You don’t have a way to follow up with them and they don’t have a way to follow up with you. What really happens is my records get sent to my local doctor and he may or may not read them.”
Coupling the executive physical with a continuous connected care platform that features telemed and a concierge doctor enables companies to provide their executives with an enhanced personal medical care that demonstrates their commitment to their top talent.
Carlin says extending the traditional executive physical with a 24/7/365 connected care model does a better job of protecting the health of executives and is a solid return on investment.
“The number one ROI is the continuity of operations, because you now have gone from a one day health event to a 365 day continuous experience,” Carlin says. “With telemedicine, we now have the connectivity and means of ensuring the health of your executive so there are no surprises.”
Using real-time medical technology, for example, allows for regular monitoring of simple chronic diseases like hypertension or diabetes, making it simple to adjust treatment or medications on the fly, while at the same time accumulating data that is used to inform care going forward.