Is an executive physical worth it?

For the physical examination and any imaging that fits your risk, often yes, especially if your employer pays. Those are the parts bloodwork cannot replace. The evidence is weaker for some bundled tests: the USPSTF recommends against screening low-risk adults with a resting or exercise ECG. Ask which tests your day includes, and why each one fits your age and risk, before you go.

What does an executive physical usually include?

The programs in this guide describe a long history and physical exam, a broad blood panel, and consultations on nutrition and exercise. Depending on the program and your risk, that can extend to an ECG, a stress test, hearing and vision checks, a coronary calcium scan, lung CT for eligible smokers, or a DEXA scan. Most take one full day; Mayo Clinic says its visits typically take two.

Does insurance cover an executive physical?

It depends on the program. Mayo Clinic says it bills clinical services to insurance and that most of a visit is typically covered. Northwestern says part of the physical is not billable to insurance. Johns Hopkins and Hoag say they do not bill health insurance. Duke says individuals can pay out of pocket or file labs and studies to insurance. Many employers pay through corporate arrangements.

Can a telehealth program replace an executive physical?

No. A telehealth service cannot examine you, image you or run a stress test. ACT 2 Health says this directly: it has no imaging, no physical examination and no stress testing, and it recommends using both. The physical covers what needs a body in a room; a continuous service covers measurement, interpretation and treatment in the months between.

What should I ask an executive health program before booking?

Ask which services are included and what USPSTF grade each carries for someone with your risk profile. Ask what happens after an abnormal result: whether follow-up testing is included or referred, and who manages it. Ask how results reach your primary care doctor, and what support, if any, the program offers between annual visits.

Best Executive Health Programs (2026)

ACT 2 Health publishes this guide and ranks itself first. The criteria we used are below, and every other entry links to that provider's own site so you can check the details yourself.

Executive health programs compared: what each day includes, what happens between annual visits, pricing and insurance, and why most people should use both.

ACT 2 Health Clinical Team · Updated September 24, 2026

Medically reviewed by Benjamin H. Krasne, M.D.

An executive health program usually means a long day, sometimes two, at a hospital: a detailed history and physical exam, a broad blood panel, fitness and nutrition consultations, and imaging or cardiac testing chosen for your age and risk. That day does things nothing else can. What it is not designed to do is follow you through the other eleven months of the year. This guide compares the best-known programs on both jobs, and says plainly where each one stops, including us.

How we chose

We used six criteria that you can check on each provider's own website:

Between-visit measurement. Does the program describe repeat testing or structured follow-up during the year, not only an annual visit?
Treatment inside the same service. After results come back, can a clinician in the program act on them within scope, after a live visit, or does care move to a referral?
Published pricing. Are prices on the site, or quoted on request?
Verifiable clinicians. Are physicians named, with credentials a reader can check?
Stated scope. Does the program say clearly what it includes and what it does not (physical exam, imaging, stress testing)?
Access. Where do you have to be to use it?

These criteria reward continuous care, which is why a telehealth service ranks first. If what you need is a hands-on examination and imaging, the hospital programs below are the right choice and ACT 2 Health is not. For most people the useful answer is both.

Comparison at a glance

Provider	Format	Physician-led?	Labs before prescribing?	Published pricing?	Where available
ACT 2 Health	Online (telehealth)	Clinician-led; physicians named with license and NPI numbers	Baseline labs where appropriate; a live visit is required before anything is prescribed	Yes, in full	Clinical care in all 50 states; lab testing not available in NY, NJ or RI
Mayo Clinic Executive Health	In-person	Yes	Not stated	No; cost estimates on inquiry	Rochester, Scottsdale, Jacksonville, London
Northwestern Medicine Executive Health	In-person	Yes	Not stated	No; pricing on request	Chicago, IL
Cleveland Clinic Executive Health	In-person	Yes	Not stated	Not stated	Cleveland, OH; Weston, FL
Johns Hopkins Executive & Preventive Health	In-person	Yes	Not stated	Not stated	The Johns Hopkins Hospital
Duke Executive Health	In-person	Yes	Not stated	Not stated	Durham, NC
Hoag Executive Health	In-person	Yes	Not stated	Not stated	Newport Beach, CA

The programs

1. ACT 2 Health

Best for: the months between annual physicals, when you want measurement, interpretation against your own history, and treatment when it is warranted, all remotely.

ACT 2 Health is a 100% online telemedicine service offering clinician-led care built around the line "We measure first. Then we act." Care follows one path: an online assessment, clinician review with baseline labs where appropriate, a personalized plan, then follow-ups and repeat labs so the plan is adjusted over time. Labs are drawn at a local patient service center, and results usually come back within days. A live phone or video visit with a clinician is required before anything is prescribed, and prices are published in full with no membership fee, starting with a $199 Comprehensive Lab Panel. Its physicians are named with license and NPI numbers, including Benjamin H. Krasne, M.D., board-certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology, whose focus is longevity, metabolic health and medical weight management.

Worth knowing: ACT 2 has no physical examination, no imaging and no stress testing, and it does not offer a day-long executive physical. Its own page on what an executive physical covers and misses says so and recommends using both. It screens for sleep apnea but does not diagnose it; it refers for a sleep test. It does not bill insurance.

Not the right fit if: you want in-person care, a hands-on exam, imaging such as a coronary calcium score or DEXA scan, insurance billing, or care outside the United States; or you live in New York, New Jersey or Rhode Island and need labs ordered, since lab testing is not available there.

2. Mayo Clinic Executive Health Program

Best for: a thorough, unhurried assessment with access to Mayo specialists, at one of four campuses.

Mayo describes a 1-to-3-day itinerary (its FAQ says visits are typically two days) built on a standard protocol by gender and age, which it says is based on USPSTF guidelines and Mayo best practice. Physicians add services based on your profile, and you can choose optional ones such as genetic testing or multi-cancer early detection screening. Each visit ends with a health summary and action plan. Between annual visits, Mayo describes wellness coaching, a quarterly newsletter and a quarterly speaker series.

Worth knowing: Mayo says it is not a concierge medicine program. Applicants are reviewed on business title, company and work status, and you must return within three years to stay active. Mayo shares cost estimates when you inquire or apply, and says the majority of a visit is typically covered by insurance.

Not the right fit if: you are not a working executive or business leader, or you want frequent physician contact during the year rather than one annual visit.

3. Northwestern Medicine Executive Health

Best for: one long day with same-day results, followed by a year of structured follow-up on your goals.

Northwestern describes a pre-visit phone consultation with your physician, then a day that includes a physical exam, expanded blood and urine tests, an electrocardiogram, a hearing test, a stress test, body composition testing, and sessions with an exercise physiologist and a registered dietitian. You review results with a physician the same day and can add up to three specialist consultations or tests. Its FAQ says the day typically runs 8 to 10 hours and that the care team follows up with you for the next 12 months. A separate, fee-based concierge program is available to people who complete an executive physical each year.

Worth knowing: pricing is on request. Northwestern says part of the physical is not billable to insurance and is paid before services unless your employer has arranged otherwise. It does not act as your primary care doctor unless you choose its fee-based membership. It suggests booking three months or more ahead.

Not the right fit if: you cannot get to Chicago, or you are low risk and would rather skip a stress test; ask whether it applies to you before the day.

4. Cleveland Clinic Executive Health

Best for: an exam day that can be extended into more advanced screening if you have time to stay.

Cleveland Clinic says every appointment includes a thorough physical exam, a nutrition consultation, exercise counseling, a review of vaccinations and executive coaching, with tests chosen for your age and focus, which may include a calcium-score heart scan. For an extended stay it lists genetic testing and counseling, more detailed cardiac tests, dermatology and ophthalmology screenings, and total body MRI or CT scans. It describes its physicians as board-certified in preventive medicine and chronic disease management.

Worth knowing: the page we checked does not publish prices or describe a follow-up schedule between visits. Extra consultations may add a day or two. Before adding a whole-body scan, ask what an incidental finding would lead to.

Not the right fit if: you cannot travel to Cleveland, Ohio or Weston, Florida (Las Vegas is listed as coming soon).

5. Johns Hopkins Executive & Preventive Health Program

Best for: a one-day assessment that includes specialty screens, such as an eye exam and a dermatology skin check.

The standard visit includes a history and physical, laboratory screening with a lipid panel, a resting EKG, a hearing test, an eye exam at the Wilmer Eye Institute, a dermatology skin screening and an immunization review. Depending on your risk, Hopkins lists a treadmill stress test or a cardiopulmonary exercise test (one or the other), a coronary calcium CT, an abdominal aortic scan, low-dose lung CT for eligible smokers, a 90-minute brain health check and a DEXA scan. A written summary follows in about 10 business days.

Worth knowing: the program is self-pay and does not bill health plans. It says it is not diagnostic or a second opinion and does not assume primary care.

Not the right fit if: you need insurance to pay for it, or you want the same team to manage what the day finds.

6. Duke Executive Health

Best for: a one-day assessment weighted toward practical plans for exercise, nutrition and stress.

Duke says the day includes blood work, a comprehensive physical, a fitness evaluation, body composition testing and X-rays, plus one-on-one consultations with an exercise physiologist, a nutritionist, a stress management expert and your doctor. The team includes board-certified doctors, nurses, health psychologists, exercise physiologists and registered dietitians. The first visit takes most of a day; return visits take half a day or longer.

Worth knowing: specialist appointments are scheduled for a later date, and Duke says it does not replace your primary care doctor. Individuals can pay out of pocket or have labs and studies filed to insurance. Prices are not published on the pages we checked.

Not the right fit if: you cannot travel to Durham, North Carolina, or you want ongoing care from the same team.

7. Hoag Executive Health

Best for: a shorter exam day in Southern California.

Hoag's FAQ says the exam takes about 4.5 hours and includes in-depth diagnostic testing, a nutrition and fitness evaluation and time with a physician, followed by a 45 to 60 minute results discussion by phone, video or in person. Its site says exams are performed by board-certified physicians and exercise physiologists and lists VO2 max testing.

Worth knowing: Hoag Executive Health does not participate in any insurance plan; the exam is an out-of-pocket cost, and prices are not published on the pages we checked.

Not the right fit if: you need insurance coverage, or you are not near Newport Beach, California.

Using an executive physical and continuous care together

A 2019 JAMA research letter looked at executive physicals at 50 top-ranked US hospitals. Thirty-two offered packages, 29 published enough detail to review, and package prices ranged from $1,700 to $10,000. Hearing exams and ECGs were among the most commonly included services, while low-dose lung CT screening, which the USPSTF recommends for eligible adults, was in none. The USPSTF recommends against screening low-risk adults with a resting or exercise ECG, because a false positive can lead to further testing and procedures in someone who was never at meaningful risk.

The practical version is not either-or. Keep the physical for what needs a body in a room: examination, imaging and structural screening, on the cadence your risk supports. Use a continuous layer for measurement, interpretation against your own history and remeasurement between visits. If your panel came back "normal" but you have never had ApoB or Lp(a) drawn, our guide to heart risk when you look fit and the list of heart health tests beyond cholesterol explain what a standard lipid panel leaves out.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

For the physical examination and any imaging that fits your risk, often yes, especially if your employer pays. Those are the parts bloodwork cannot replace. The evidence is weaker for some bundled tests: the USPSTF recommends against screening low-risk adults with a resting or exercise ECG. Ask which tests your day includes, and why each one fits your age and risk, before you go.
The programs in this guide describe a long history and physical exam, a broad blood panel, and consultations on nutrition and exercise. Depending on the program and your risk, that can extend to an ECG, a stress test, hearing and vision checks, a coronary calcium scan, lung CT for eligible smokers, or a DEXA scan. Most take one full day; Mayo Clinic says its visits typically take two.
It depends on the program. Mayo Clinic says it bills clinical services to insurance and that most of a visit is typically covered. Northwestern says part of the physical is not billable to insurance. Johns Hopkins and Hoag say they do not bill health insurance. Duke says individuals can pay out of pocket or file labs and studies to insurance. Many employers pay through corporate arrangements.
No. A telehealth service cannot examine you, image you or run a stress test. ACT 2 Health says this directly: it has no imaging, no physical examination and no stress testing, and it recommends using both. The physical covers what needs a body in a room; a continuous service covers measurement, interpretation and treatment in the months between.
Ask which services are included and what USPSTF grade each carries for someone with your risk profile. Ask what happens after an abnormal result: whether follow-up testing is included or referred, and who manages it. Ask how results reach your primary care doctor, and what support, if any, the program offers between annual visits.

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This page is educational and is not medical advice. Treatments are available only to eligible patients following clinical evaluation. How we write and review our content.

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