My Generation August 2010 - Keep Me Current

4
Advanced medical testing
Cough up a lot of money for these
By Taryn Plumb
We’re all familiar with the regular-old
heckup: the waiting, the johnny, the coughng.
But how about this instead? Full body scans
nd body composition analyses, blood tests
creening for dozens of diseases, EKGs and
AT scans, and intimate, in-depth discussions
ith dozens of specialists and therapists.
It’s called advanced medical testing, and,
articularly geared toward the well-heeled
oomer set, it’s the cutting edge in undertanding
bodily functions, interior makeup,
ancer and disease risks, as well as genetic
oots – if you’ve got the cash for it, of course.
Brace yourself. Prices range anywhere
from $500 to $6,000, depending on your age
and how in-depth you go want to go. And,
although some limited aspects of the tests can
be billed to insurance companies, according
to experts, the bulk of the bill is yours to foot.
Here in Maine, options are limited – but
those willing to take a trip have many more
opportunities to plumb the boundaries of
their own bodies.
In Boston, for instance, Massachusetts
General Hospital offers an “executive physical
program,” comprising several hours of
examination, according to its website.
The extent of the exam is based on the
American Medical Association’s age and gen-
der guidelines, as well as the patient’s medical
history, according to Mass General. But typically,
it includes a comprehensive physical,
colorectal cancer screening, EKG, body composition
analysis, hearing and visual tests, immunizations,
and various lab tests examining
urine, cholesterol, blood sugar, and thyroid,
liver and kidney function. Women also get a
pap smear; men, a prostate exam.
Not extensive enough? Additional components
(subject to extra fees) can include a
mammogram, audiology evaluation, eye examination
with glaucoma screening, nutrition
consult, chest X-ray, cardiac arrest test, dermatology
evaluation, bone density test, and a
colonoscopy, according to Mass General.
When you’ve made the right decision, you know.
Even though we knew it was time, moving to an assisted living
community was one of the hardest decisions we’ve ever had to
make. But I knew we’d made the right choice when we decided
to come here.
I never dreamed it would feel so much like home. And it’s
good to know we won’t have to move again if our financial
situation changes.
We looked at a lot of places. The moment we decided on
the Inn at Village Square, we knew we’d made the right choice.
Inn at Village Square
AN ASSISTED LIVING COMMUNITY
At the end of all this, the patient receives
a confi dential, detailed report, including recommendations,
which can be passed along to
his or her primary care doctor.
Looking to make more of a trip out of it?
Similar all-encompassing physicals can be
had at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore,
the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, and the Greenbrier
Clinic in West Virginia.
But if all that’s a little too overwhelming
– or if you prefer to simply focus in on a particular
problem area – try the ScanDirectory
of Boston. Clients can get 64-slice CT scans
using rotating X-rays, virtual colonoscopies,
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123 School Street, Gorham, ME | 207-839-5101 | www.innatvillagesquare.org