An executive health checkup is a comprehensive evaluation of a person’s health based on results from a series of general and advanced screening tests. For doctors, it serves as a baseline or regular monitoring of a patient’s health status, as well as a means of diagnosing illness and disease.
The hitch? People know they’re necessary, but not very many are willing to undergo them unless they feel unwell. In a 2023 survey conducted by research and intelligence agency Capstone-Intel, only 40 percent of respondents have medical checkups annually, while 33 percent do it because a symptom came up. This puts them (and individuals who skip executive checkups altogether) at risk of developing preventable diseases, and delays treatment for conditions that could have been addressed before symptoms arose.
‘One-stop shop at a higher level’
Top hospital in the Philippines Makati Medical Center (MakatiMed) makes its customized executive health checkups (EHCU) a convenient, efficient, and comfortable experience through the MakatiMed WellnessHub. Located on the seventh floor of Ayala North Exchange’s Tower 1, a short walk from the hospital, the full-service outpatient facility conducts its EHCUs in a relaxing environment with the look and feel of a spa or boutique hotel. Each patient is fully assisted by an Executive Liaison Officer whose job is to ensure a most stress-free EHCU.
“We’re a one-stop shop at a higher level,” says Arlyn Songco, Senior Vice President and Division Head of MakatiMed’s Creative, Communication, and Sales Department. “For people who don’t like going to hospitals because they’re not sick, this addresses their need to get a wellness check.”
Indeed, MakatiMed WellnessHub proves that you don’t have to be in a hospital to avail of hospital-grade services. The facility has its own laboratory to collect and process blood and other specimen, and state-of-the-art diagnostic tools for the heart, bones, abdomen, thyroid, liver, kidney, musculoskeletal, breast, and women’s reproductive health.
Impressive equipment
According to Ryan Raymond Bautista, MD, Head, MakatiMed WellnessHub ensures that patients have access to some of the most impressive equipment. “Among these are its Siemens Mammomat and GE Senographe Pristina, two advanced screening devices that yield high-quality breast imaging in minutes using low-dose radiation; Siemens Acuson Sequoia Crown, a breast ultrasound machine that offers radiation-free imaging; and the GE LOGIQ S8XDCLEAR, a general ultrasound for the abdomen, kidney, prostate, thyroid, joints, and vascular extremities.”
In addition, Dr. Bautista explains that the hub also has the FIBROSCAN 630 EXPERT, which gives detailed information on liver health; and GE IDXA enCORE v18 SP5, a tool that goes beyond diagnosing bone mineral density—it can also measure fat mass, visceral fat, subcutaneous fat, and lean muscle mass.
The MakatiMed WellnessHub also houses a Skin & Laser Hub, and among its highly modernized machines for various skin, nail, hair, and body treatments, are the skin-rejuvenating Alma Hybrid and the revolutionary DermaGrafix Body Mapping Solution, which can detect cancerous lesions in the skin from head to toe.
Because mental health is as crucial as physical health—perhaps even more so, as a happy and positive disposition has been known to impact one’s health and even hasten healing—the MakatiMed WellnessHub conducts individualized psychological assessment services and psychological interventions like counseling and therapy in its private consultation rooms. Critical referral to NeuroPsychiatry is easier through the MakatiMed WellnessHub.
MakatiMed’s board-certified doctors serve as in-house physicians of the hub. Specialists in family medicine, occupational medicine, dental medicine, internal medicine, cardiology, obstetrics and gynecology, radiology, neuropsychiatry, and psychology are on board to provide expert diagnosis, the latest treatment options, and compassionate care.
Premier Inpatient Section
“For tests that require an extended stay, such as monitoring for sleep, heart, or brain activity, patients can check in at one of 13 rooms at the MakatiMed WellnessHub Premier, our inpatient facility at the main hospital. Admission is recommended for more intensive tests like proctosigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy, invasive diagnostics, and CPET,” explains Chin Mocas, Department Manager for Operations. Situated at the seventh floor of MakatiMed’s Tower 2, the rooms boast cozy interiors, complete amenities, and stunning views of Ayala’s Central Business District.
Mocas says that depending on the tests of your EHCU, you can be done in a matter of hours. Results can be released within 24 to 48 hours and a final consolidated report will be furnished in 3-5 working days after discharge. Results are discussed thoroughly by MakatiMed WellnessHub’s in-house doctors.
Let’s be honest: Nobody relishes the idea of going through an executive checkup. If your tests include bloodwork, you have to fast, get up early, and deal with needles for extraction. Having to strip down for certain diagnostic exams is a vulnerable and awkward feeling. And then there’s the anxiety of waiting for your results.
Allow MakatiMed WellnessHub to ease the process for you in a safe, secure, and pleasant environment run by professionals and experts in their field.
“There is some sort of exclusivity to it,” says Saturnino Javier, MD, MakatiMed Medical Director and Interim Co-President and CEO, of conducting a MakatiMed-managed executive checkup outside of hospital premises. “It’s like choosing a car. All cars can bring you to the same destination, but it is all about the comfort and convenience.”
For more information, please contact MakatiMed On-Call at +632.88888 999, email mmc@makatimed.net.ph, or visit www.makatimed.net.ph. Follow @IamMakatiMed on Facebook and Twitter.