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Gilded care for executives
Executive physicals: Too many tests or a value proposition for busy CEOs?
 University of Central Florida President John Hitt makes an annual visit to Rippe Health in Celebration. "He had a heart attack and another health-related scare in 2006. Especially since then, he has been very health conscious, as you can imagine," says UCF spokesman Grant Heston. [Photo: Gregg Matthews] |
On the recommendation of his friend, Steve Raymund, chairman and former CEO of Tech Data, Cantor went to see Dr. Steven Masley, a St. Petersburg physician who has been performing executive physicals since the late 1990s. Masley conducted a battery of tests and spent hours with Cantor going over his findings. The result? Cantor wasn't in quite the "amazing shape" he thought he was. "He said that day it would probably be good if I lost 10 pounds. I was probably better than average, but I could have a lot of improvement."
Since then, Cantor has stepped up his exercising and is pleased with the results. "I've improved my cardio endurance. I look better. I feel better. And I feel confident I'm not going to drop dead when I take a 10-mile run."
As for Chappell, who has since completed chemotherapy and radiation and is cancer-free, she tells every executive she meets about her experience and paid for the physicals for all three principals in her agency. "I was wanting to do this a couple years prior and I faced the same issues other executives face: ‘How am I going to make time? Can I afford to be out of the office?' The truth is, you can't afford not to be proactive with your health," says Chappell. "It was the best nine hours I've spent in my career."
 Joel Cantor says an executive physical gave him the peace of mind to step up his exercising. [Photo: Cherie Diez/Tampa Bay Times] |
