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

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