Craig Cheifetz, MD, FACP, Medical Director, Inova 360° Institute ...

Craig Cheifetz, MD,
FACP, Medical Director,
Inova 360° Institute,
strives to provide each
of his patients with
personalized care —
whenever they need it.
4
INOVA MAGAZINE spring 2012

John Oswald is pretty confident that
PHOTOS BY
DRAKE SOREY the Inova VIP 360° program saved
his life.
That’s because, after joining the program in
September 2010, he was advised to undergo a test
“most doctors wouldn’t have sent me off to get,” he
says. A test of his liver revealed that Oswald, CEO
of international investment bank Capital Trust
Group, had kidney cancer.
Following his diagnosis on Dec. 8, Oswald’s
care management moved like a smooth
intercontinental flight — surgery on
Dec. 21 to remove a kidney and
then back to work a week later.
“I have recommended the
program to at least 25
people,” says Oswald, 52.
In the Best of
Health
Positive patient
experiences and outcomes
like Oswald’s
are the goal of the
Inova 360° Institute,
which encompasses
two medical programs,
Inova VIP 360° and Inova
Corporate 360°. Key to both
programs is the close relationship
formed between patient and
physician because of the low patient roster
per physician. This allows for a high degree of
personalized medical attention and satisfaction.
“Our patients want partners,” explains Maggie
Hayford, RN, Inova 360° Institute medical concierge.
“They want a dialogue with doctors and
nurses who listen and respond with intelligent
education. That’s the strength behind both Inova
360° programs.”
In a nutshell, VIP 360° is a subscription-based
primary care practice that delivers ongoing, highly
personalized medical attention. Physicians are
available to member patients every day of the year
and provide customized preventative care through
examinations and one-on-one counseling.
Corporate 360° offers an annual executive
healthcare screening program that assesses
healthcare needs during a comprehensive fivehour
physical exam as well as in-depth discussions
concerning preventative health, fitness and diet.
INOVA 360° ● INOVA 360° ● INOVA 360° ● INOVA 360° ● INOVA 360° ● INOVA 360° ● INOVA 360° ● INOVA 360° ● INOVA 360° ● INOVA 360° ●
THE
AXISOF
Both programs emphasize sophisticated disease
treatment and proactive, education-based
disease prevention. Fundamental to both is a
team of experts that includes doctors, nurses,
the appropriate specialists, a fitness trainer and a
nutritionist — who understand that each patient is
an individual with distinct needs and preferences.
The Doctor Will See You Now
Inova VIP 360° is what is known as a concierge
practice, a specific type of personalized
primary care medical office that
carries an annual subscription
ACCESS
Inova 360° Institute combines
medical excellence with
personalized care
fee, which is not covered
by insurance. A growing
trend over the last
decade, concierge
practices are meeting
the needs of empowered
healthcare
consumers — consumers
who want
to be involved
in their care and
participate in care
choices. Patients
receive enhanced
medical services due to
smaller practice sizes. It’s
a powerful trend destined to
change healthcare, says Jordan
Shlain, MD, president of the American
Academy of Private Physicians. “We are building
the wellness model of the future and actively critiquing
the circular illness-model,” he says. “The
common denominator that sets us apart is our
desire to listen longer, ask more questions, and
take the time to work through a complex problem
in the spirit of healthy living and longevity.”
Following the concierge practice model, Inova
VIP 360° patients pay an annual subscription fee of
$1,800 and the physicians maintain a significantly
lower than average patient-to-physician ratio. What
sets Inova VIP 360° apart from other concierge
practices are three additional founding tenets.
1. VIP 360° is headquartered on the Inova Fairfax
Hospital campus, giving patients immediate access
to some of the best medical minds and advanced
technologies available in the world. Inova’s focus on
personalized medicine is also an important advantage
to bringing the best care to VIP 360° patients.
Setting the
bar high
Scan this barcode
to meet our VIP
physicians.
spring 2012 INOVA .ORG
5

INOVA 360° ● INOVA 360° ● INOVA 360
THE AXIS OF
ACCESS
VIP 360° patients
receive care that
goes far beyond
what takes place at
a typical doctor’s
appointment, according
to John Pace, MD,
lead physician, Inova
360° Institute.
2. In the world of concierge
medicine, the VIP 360° patientto-physician
ratio is held
uncharacteristically low, giving
physicians additional time to step
up as a patient advocate, navigating
and overseeing tests and
labs on a per-patient basis, and
ensuring that communication
lines stay open between technicians,
specialists, nurses, doctors
and, of course, the patient.
3. Unlike most concierge medical
practices, the VIP 360° team
maintains an unprecedented
focus on in-depth wellness
education.
“I have an opportunity to truly
make a difference in people’s
lives,” stresses Craig Cheifetz,
MD, FACP, Medical Director,
Inova 360° Institute. “This program
gives me time for serious
patient education. So when I ask
patients to do something — maybe
change their diet or medication
— they are much more likely
to follow through, because they
understand what’s going on in their bodies and
why we feel this is the best plan for them.”
The Patient-Doctor Relationship
As a result of this individualized attention, the
level of care evolves far beyond anything possible
during a typical doctor’s appointment. “Patients
frequently express frustration with the evolution
of care within a traditional primary care practice.
Some patients are forced to refer to written
notes so as to not forget critical points during the
rush of their allotted 10 minute appointment,”
says John Pace, MD, lead physician, Inova 360°
beyond the physical
Every Inova VIP 360° patient’s journey toward a healthy life begins with a comprehensive physical
exam in order to establish a baseline assessment of overall health status. After reviewing
the patient’s health history and ancillary studies, a detailed evaluation is created, which
includes medical, dietary and fitness recommendations.
To ensure a full understanding of the whys and hows behind each recommendation, patients
may meet with registered dieticians and exercise specialists. These experts, in partnership with
the physicians, oversee science-based programs that are offered to every VIP 360° patient.
Institute. “But because our patients have time to
relax — maybe talk about their job, the family or
any new stress — I get a complete picture and can
deliver a more comprehensive level of care. Hearing
about what’s going on in my patient’s life is
just as important as the lab tests.”
The program also includes one-on-one progress
reports with the physician. “We check in
regularly with our patients. We follow up with
a patient’s trainer and nutritionist, too. This is
about continual, real-time assessments, so we can
regroup if things aren’t going as planned or the
patient’s progress plateaus.”
To support this ongoing conversation, VIP
360° patients have unlimited access to their physician.
“They have the physician’s email address
and a phone number that goes directly to the physician’s
mobile device,” Hayford explains. “And
if the physician or patient feels that an in-person
consult is necessary, VIP 360° members are guaranteed
same- or next-day appointments.”
It is this personalized attention and easy access
to services and his doctor that banking CEO
Oswald continues to appreciate. It helped when
his wife, who also is in the program, had a problem
in the middle of the night and had to go to
the hospital. “Dr. Cheifetz was on the phone.
We were checked in immediately,” he says.
Oswald, who continues to do routine followups
after his kidney surgery, also likes that he
can secure an appointment or test right away if he
needs it. He liked his former doctor, he says, “but
it took four months to get an appointment, which
is not the case here.”
Also worth the price of the program’s admission,
he says, is the comprehensive wellness exam.
A doctor gives the full exam, “so you know you’re
not going to be rushed.” You also receive results
for the majority of tests that day, he adds.
Executive Action
While VIP 360° involves access to physicians and
services throughout the year, Inova Corporate
360° is a solution-based, comprehensive, halfday
physical exam. It is administered once a year
and geared to busy executives who do not have
time for multiple physician appointments that
cumulatively equal a five-star physical exam. In
most cases, corporations offer this program as
an employee benefit, although Dr. Pace adds that
corporations benefit as well. “If a critical member
6
INOVA MAGAZINE spring 2012

Inova VIP 360°
A lower patient-to-physician ratio than most
concierge medical practices in order to
enhance personalized attention
Access to Inova’s world-class specialists
for tests and labs — from routine to
complex, cutting-edge procedures
Unparalleled emphasis on education,
across all aspects of health and wellness
and every stage and age of life
Dedicated focus on the whole
patient — body, mind and spirit
Easy physician access via email and phone
EXTRAORDINARY
ACCESS
From the beginning,
Inova VIP 360° set out to distinguish
itself as a premiere concierge
medical practice that surpasses expectation.
When compared to other such practices, the
differences become immediately apparent.
Physician access, although often
through an answering service
A dedicated focus on body but
often no commitment to the
mind and spirit
Marginal dedication to longrange
preservation of wellness
No inherent connection to any
hospital, with tests and labs often
done by third-party providers
Up to 600 patients per physician, which
may decrease individualized healthcare
Other Concierge Practices
of the executive team is out of the office due to
illness, it can have a profound impact on the company’s
operations. This is a proactive way to head
off preventable illnesses and keep the executive
team healthy. Everyone wins.”
The half-day agenda entails an extensive medical
history review and a five-hour comprehensive,
personalized health, wellness and medical
Welcome, Doctor:
Laura M. Balda, MD,
is new to the staff
at the Inova 360°
Institute.
evaluation, which includes medically indicated
tests based on a patient’s age, risk factors and
demographics. This encompasses ancillary
tests, such as laboratory studies, X-rays, vision
and hearing assessments, a pulmonary function
study and a stress test with a board-certified
cardiologist in the room for immediate test
interpretation.
Generous amounts of time allow for lengthy
conversations with the physician and nurse as
well as a fitness trainer or nutritionist. “Critical
to Inova Corporate 360° is education — never
lecturing but teaching,” says Jeff Carr, Senior
Director of Corporate Health Services, Inova.
“You won’t hear ‘exercise 30 minutes a day’ from
the fitness trainer. You get a fitness plan based on
exam results — the stress test and body fat, flexibility
and strength assessments. Then the fitness
program is tailored to your lifestyle. Maybe you’re
on the road 200 days a year, so instead of discussing
a gym circuit, the trainer talks about exercise
bands you can pack or taking the hotel stairway
down to the lobby.”
The Inova 360° Institute programs are not
about reaching a destination and being done,
Dr. Cheifetz explains. “This is about a journey,
with the physician and patient traveling together.
It’s about exemplary preventative
healthcare and personalized
medicine at the primary care
level in order to achieve less
disease, less hospitalization and
a longer, more productive life.”
FULL CIRCLE
Learn more about Inova VIP 360° at
inova.org/VIP360. Learn more about Inova
Corporate 360° at inova.org/corporate360.
spring 2012 INOVA .ORG
7