Executive Physicals in Atlanta, GA: Emory Healthcare vs. PartnerMD

When it comes to executive physicals in the Atlanta area, you’ve got two main options – Emory Executive Health or boutique concierge medical practices like PartnerMD.

You probably know a lot about Emory. With more than 2,800 doctors and 250 locations, they’re the largest healthcare provider in Atlanta.

You probably know less about PartnerMD, but as a leading executive physical provider, we’ve worked with countless companies in the Atlanta area on executive physicals.

Regardless of your company’s situation, you’re looking for information comparing your options. That’s what we’re here to do. We want to provide a comprehensive view of both programs so that your company can make a confident choice.

To do that, we’ll rely on information listed on both websites, as well as what we understand from our conversations over the years with companies making this very decision.

Of course, we know our product best. But we do want to be clear: people choose Emory because they are also good at what they do. They have excellent doctors. And with so many specialists and outpatient facilities, many people have most of their healthcare provided by Emory.

By the end of this comparison, you might select PartnerMD. You might pick Emory. That’s ok.

We want to provide you with the best information possible so you can select the best executive physical program in Atlanta for your company.

Emory Executive Health vs. PartnerMD: 3 Similarities

We know what is similar and what is different between our programs. The similarities are the easy part – there are three.

• Both programs offer the same standardized tests and screenings you can find in just about any executive physical.
• Both programs offer convenience from a scheduling perspective. Emory’s executive physical exams last a half day. At PartnerMD, we also offer a half-day physical, as well as a more comprehensive 8-hr physical.
• Both have very talented physicians. You’ll be able to trust the care you receive from both places.

Where your decision gets difficult is when you start to look at the differences. There’s no easy place that just lays it all out for you. We’re about to change that.

In the rest of this blog, we’ll explain the 6 major differences between the Emory executive health program and the PartnerMD executive health program.

Emory Executive Health vs. PartnerMD: 6 Differences

In this article, we’ll break down how each program operates in terms of:

1. What is the cost of an executive physical program?
2. Is there an additional cost for more tests and screenings?
3. How many tests and screenings are included in a standard executive physical?
4. How many additional advanced tests and screenings are available?
5. How can your company customize its executive physical program?
6. How is the experience different for your employee?

Now, let’s dive into each of these.

1. Executive Physicals in Atlanta: What is the cost of an executive physical program?

Emory’s base physical exam costs $2,425 per person. This includes a one-hour meeting with a physician, same-day review, 12 months of priority access and care coordination, wellness coaching, a family health risk review, an EKG, an immunization review, and a complete laboratory analysis.

However, Emory also suggests additional executive physical exams based on age and gender. These options range from $3,186 for a female between 40-44 to $4,896 for a female 60+.

At PartnerMD, our most basic executive physical is $1,000. This includes a 90-minute meeting with a physician, as well as a full physical exam; medical history review; lung, hearing, and vision testing; an EKG; blood testing; Vitamin D screening; fitness and nutrition coaching; body composition analysis; and certain age and gender screening labs.

We also offer an Enhanced (5-hr) Physical for $2,700 and a Signature Physical for $4,000 that provide more in-depth and comprehensive health information.

As a comparison, here is what each program might cost for a four-executive program: two males in their 50s and two females in their 50s.

2. Executive physicals in Atlanta: Is there an additional cost for more tests and screenings?

As mentioned above, Emory Executive Health allows you to customize each executive physical exam by adding or removing certain tests on their recommended protocols.

They also offer additional customization options through their Optional Extended Prevention Packages, which range from an additional $105 for a Heart Health Package to $861 for a post-menopause Women’s Hormone Package.

All of these Optional Prevention Packages are also available at PartnerMD. Some are already included in the base cost of your executive physical, such as what is included in their Heart Health Package (tests for significant indicators of heart disease like apoB and Lp(a)).

Most of the rest, like the Women’s Hormone Packages or Men’s Health Packages, are available for your employees to add to their executive physical as one of the customization options in our Enhanced Physical or Signature Physical for no extra charge.

3. Executive Physicals in Atlanta: How many tests and screenings are included in a standard executive physical?

Emory’s suggested executive physicals are slightly different based on age and gender. Males and females get different annual tests and screenings, and as your employees age, they will add a couple of standard tests, such as a bone density test for females over 50 and a carotid ultrasound for males over 50.

Based on the Emory Executive Health website, if you account for gender-specific tests and screenings and those done every few years, you get between 11-17 tests and screenings every year (following their suggested protocols).

At PartnerMD, our most basic executive physical exam, the Classic (2-Hr), includes 15 tests or screenings. The Enhanced (5-Hr) includes 18 and the Signature (8-Hr) includes 22.

4. Executive physicals in Atlanta: How many additional advanced tests and screenings are available?

Emory offers six “Optional Extended Prevention Packages” at an extra cost. This includes a Heart Health Package (Lp(a), ApoB) for $105, a Women’s Advanced Cancer Screening Package for $716, and a Lung Cancer Screening (CT Lung) for $275.

At PartnerMD, depending on which executive physical your employees get, they will be able to choose up to two (Enhanced Physical) or up to six (Signature Physical) customization options each year.

With more than 30+ customization options available, your employees will never get the same executive physical each year, and they will have access to the most in-depth and cutting-edge tests available to pursue their goals.

Our executive health team will work with your employees to help customize their physical based on health, area of concern, age, gender, lifestyle, and more. Check out our full list of executive physical customization options.

5. Executive Physicals in Atlanta: How can your company customize its executive physical program?

As a company, your primary decision when designing an executive health program will be to decide how many employees to include in the program. Is it just for your C-Suite executives? Might other top performers or rising stars get included?

To help manage the size of the budget and control costs, we customize each executive health program for the individual business. Among the things we can tailor to your business are:

• Is a physical mandatory or optional for certain employees?
• Should specific employees, or groups of employees, receive a different tier of physical?
• Do the results of any physical need to be shared with the company’s leadership team or board of directors?

For example, we frequently work with companies to design programs such as:

• Mandatory Signature (8-hr) physical for all C-Suite executives with results reported to board of directors. Some of our clients even require this as a pre-employment physical for their C-Suite.
• Optional Enhanced (5-hr) physicals for the next level of leadership and top performers, results confidential.
• Optional Classic (2-hr) physicals for all employees and sometimes even spouses, results confidential.

Due to the size of the hospital and the volume of patients they treat, Emory probably can’t customize each program for every company on that level. That’s likely why they offer slightly different physicals based on age and gender. It keeps it simple.

6. Executive Physicals in Atlanta: How is the experience different for your employees?

As mentioned before, Emory is the largest healthcare organization in Atlanta. The Emory Executive Health program is located on the campus of the Emory University Hospital off Clifton Road northeast of Downtown Atlanta. It’s in the middle of the hospital’s large campus.

Because of the sheer size of the hospital and the program, they need to operate efficiently to get patients in and out. Hospitals are hectic places on a good day, and it can be an overwhelming experience for your employees to navigate a large campus and then get thrust into a busy hospital setting.

The result for your employees could be an impersonal experience where they feel like just a number.

Contrast that with PartnerMD’s Sandy Springs office, for example, located off Mt. Vernon Highway.

Your employees will get a personalized experience in an office with a dedicated, private executive lounge for their use on their physical day. We also provide car service for any outside tests that may be required.

Choosing an Atlanta Executive Health Provider: Next Steps

Now that you know a little about the differences between two Atlanta executive health providers — Emory and PartnerMD — we hope you are closer to deciding. Before you do decide, you’ll want to answer these questions:

• Is the prestige of Emory a priority in where you send your talent?
• What type of relationship with the doctors will your employees value the most?
• How important is a more in-depth executive physical?
• Which customization options would you like your employees to choose to address their health issues?
• How many employees should be a part of the executive health program?
• What level (c-suite, directors, top performers, everyone, etc.) should be included in the program?
• And can your company’s budget afford the higher executive physical cost (most of the time) at Emory?

Once you answer these questions, you’re likely ready to decide.

If you have more questions or want to learn about our programs at PartnerMD, fill out this form to request a consultation to discuss your goals and get a custom proposal.