Hello all,
I have been on this list serve for awhile now and have appreciated receiving all the emails and information it has provided. This time I thought I might add to the discussion by sending a copy of the following article that ran in the Calgary Herald (see below).
I'm very curious to know what people think of this practice of offering X-rays and diagnostic scans as a form of health prevention.
David Schaaf
Senior Research Analyst
Alberta Liberal Caucus
_____________________
Would you ask Santa for a free colonoscopy?
Clinics offer 'gifts of health'
Maria Canton
Calgary Herald
Saturday, December 20, 2003
David Peterson of the Personal Health Planning Institute is selling holiday health certificates starting at $249.
CREDIT: Dean Bicknell, Calgary Herald
Forget gifts that make you fat, or shrink in the wash. This holiday season sees companies hawking presents with a twist: personal health plans, cholesterol tests, MRIs -- even virtual colonoscopies.
Some private health clinics in the city are advertising "the gift of health" this month by promoting Christmas specials on all things medical.
However, the idea isn't an easy sell with all customers.
"What a romantic gift, an MRI," said Dr. Avalon Roberts, who recently received a flyer pitching some health-care Christmas gifts.
But at the Personal Health Planning Institute in Calgary, the idea is taking off. It's selling holiday packages ranging from $249 to $3,000.
Co-owner David Peterson said the unusual gift concept is generating some interest from people who want to take a preventive approach to health care -- rather than waiting to become ill.
"We have had a number of people express interest in the packages. It's a unique concept for people who are stuck with what to give," said Peterson, a chiropractor whose office sent out flyers advertising the deals.
Aimed at the overworked, stressed-out corporate junkie, a base package buys a personal health screening profile, including a battery of tests and a 20-page report with a rating from poor to excellent.
Tying a red bow around a $3,000 envelope gets the recipient six hours of clinical testing, X-rays, blood work, a test to determine the "actual" age of the patient's body versus the "real" age, a comprehensive health report with action plans, 12 weeks with a personal health coach and a checkup after six months.
However, even those offering health-care gifts say it takes a bit of effort to sell to most consumers on a last-minute shopping spree.
"The challenge is that people aren't used to paying for their health," Peterson admits.
Another private clinic in the city is offering holiday deals on MRIs, virtual colonoscopies and CT scans.
The idea isn't making everyone feel better, particularly opponents of private health care such as Roberts, chairwoman of the Calgary chapter of Friends of Medicare.
"Why are they marketing health care to healthy people when there are sick people who can't even get the care they need?" she asked Friday.
Roberts listed problems with the marketing concept, including the possibility of getting tests back with "false positive" results -- an indication a patient is ill when they aren't -- that would result in a healthy person tying up the public system.
"It's disgraceful and disrespectful," she added, noting she, too, had received a flyer in the mail advertising the specials.
The going rate for an hour with a personal trainer at health clubs in the city is $55 an hour. Five sessions, which are personalized depending on the client's goals, will cost an average of $250.
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