Peabody Takes On Exec. Health

<B> Peabody Takes On Exec. Health</B>

By Ruth A. Hill

Customer care is taking on a new dimension at The Peabody Orlando, where executives who check in for meetings also can check up on their personal health.

In a new partnership with the Orlando Regional Healthcare System, the hotel is bringing physicians, nutritionists, exercise physiologists and other experts onsite to provide customized clinical services about wellness lifestyles. The ORHS, the largest nonprofit healthcare system in central Florida, operates seven hospitals.

Barry Anderson, Peabody's vice president of marketing, said the hotel has no financial interest in the program, but rather has "entered this exclusive partnership merely to provide another valuable amenity for business travelers who stay with us for meetings and conventions."

Anderson emphasized that the new program is not a feel-good spa treatment amenity. "It's firmly based in medical science," he said. "The appeal we offer is the convenience and efficiency of having doctors make house calls at the hotel."

Larry Roofner, director of wellness at the ORHS Institute for Corporate Wellness, said the idea behind The Peabody Orlando Executive Health Program is to give traveling executives a convenient way to get a thorough assessment in tandem with business commitments. "Many executives have health assessments in their corporate benefits package, but they don't block out a day to have the physical," he said. "We can customize assessments in as little as three hours, although the ideal is either a full day or two half days."

The program is particularly acceptable in today's managed health care environment because people don't have the kind of relationships with physicians that they used to have.

"People get shifted from doctor to doctor today anyhow, so we don't see much resistance to seeing someone who isn't their regular doctor," Roofner said.

Health assessments at the The Peabody Orlando--located across the street from the Orlando/Orange County Convention Center--don't stop at blood chemistry, body fat analysis and cardiac stress tests. The program integrates a holistic mind, body and spirit look at individual "psycho-social" factors that affect wellness. And it includes follow-up consultations to assist participants in achieving practices that will promote peak fitness, and reduce stress and the chance of health crises.

Pam Smith, a nutritionist consultant for the new program and host of the nationally syndicated radio program "Living Well," said the hotel's executive health agenda can assist executives who let fatigue control their lives. "Millions of executives are unaware of how much their personal power drain is negatively affecting their quality of life, performance and productivity," she said. "Like a sports athlete, the corporate athlete needs to be ready to perform. The right strategy for health can allow participants to reclaim enthusiasm for life, and prevent disease and promote longevity."

Participants and corporate meeting planners who subscribe to The Peabody Orlando's Executive Health Assessment Program may choose from a menu of assessment options. The ORHS team will evaluate, test and counsel at the hotel or in its clinical facility. Diagnostics range from a complete medical history and physical examination by a board-certified physician to nutritional analysis and lifestyle counseling sessions that yield a profile of how well an individual is doing at being well.

Roofner said the Peabody program goes beyond what most people get from their chosen physicians. "This is not a generic 'exercise more, eat less' consult," he said. "We deliver a comprehensive written report, which includes personalized recommendations on improving health, controlling weight and reducing the chance of health crises."

The Peabody health checkup costs $850 for a one-day assessment, which is a discounted rate from the usual cost of $1,000.