Six hours for a better life
Life expectancy increases, but the length of time a person is healthy does not. Also because people don't take the time to see doctors. For those who are always running late, Concierge Medicine Europe has come up with six-hour checkups during which your body is carefully checked.
It's 8 AM and the marathon of medical check-ups is about to begin for one of the managers at Concierge Medicine Europe. It starts early, and ends early afternoon. Everything here is governed by the motto: Don't waste time. Because time is particularly precious to clients.
No wonder Concierge Medicine Europe's typical patients are top executives. The ones who are desperately short of time and can't manage to get around to appointments at the various sites. Here they can do everything in one place in a few hours.
"Lately, people in the Czech Republic are beginning to realise that health is in our hands, and the time we don't spend on prevention is donated to subsequent illness," says Kateřina Vrbová, VIP Concierge Manager, who takes care of patients.
Men still predominate among the clients, but the proportion of women has been increasing significantly recently. "Either they check themselves in or their husband checks them in," Vrbová points out. A set of examinations costs CZK 49,000.
CHEMISTRY OF THE PATIENT AND THE DOCTOR
Concierge Medicine Europe was founded in Prague less than three years ago by entrepreneur Wolfram Schleuter, who wanted to offer a concept that did not rely solely on examination results but focused on a comprehensive approach to the human body and lifestyle medicine. In Prague, the clinic operates in Pankrác and Smíchov and plans to grow to other parts of the capital.
The series of examinations starts with blood sampling, body composition analysis, abdominal and thyroid ultrasound. It continues with an hour-long interview with a general practitioner who will take a detailed personal and family history. Care includes a comprehensive cardiology, eye or dermatology exam or sleep apnea screening.
It ends with the GP again, who will use the results to make recommendations to improve the patient's health and quality of life. Genes, environment and lifestyle are taken into account. How the patient sleeps, eats, plays sports, manages stress and handles their relationships. In the lifestyle clinic, patients then learn that aging does not have to be synonymous with a diminished quality of life.
"It surprises me that there are still a huge number of people who don't understand the link between lifestyle and illness, and that the way they treat their bodies will come back to bite them," says Katerina Vrbová.
At the clinic, which focuses on the causes and overall well-being of patients in addition to prevention, she addresses individual needs with patients, coordinates treatments and matches each patient with a doctor to ensure the right chemistry is present between the two, which is important in a holistic approach.
"As part of my role, I also deal with client issues or concerns, unexpected situations, sometimes securing medical care abroad, and providing second-opinion opportunities with specialists from clinics around the world," Vrbova adds.
INTO THE BLUE ZONES
She herself is very interested in a healthy lifestyle, has done a lifestyle course and in her spare time travels around the world with her husband to visit blue zones, as areas where the locals live to an above-average age are called: such as Sardinia, Italy.
"Longevity, living a long and happy life, is a big topic now, but while life expectancy is increasing, the length of time a person is healthy is not. In the Czech Republic there is a difference of around twelve years, in the blue zones one year, and the reason is lifestyle," she explains.
It is never too late to start. "We have clients at the clinic who have signed up for lifestyle counselling in their eighties," she confirms. "We also get people coming to us who are very down, considering antidepressants, and through lifestyle plans and motivation they get the impetus that there are other ways to solve problems."
The clinic offers a variety of additional services. For example, it has recently started offering traditional Chinese medicine, and its portfolio includes yoga classes or the doctor-led walks that are very popular in the United States.
