Lifesigns aim to keep people healthy

     By Damon Hodge
     View staff writer
      Healthy people need checkups, too.
      That's the focus of Lifesigns, a Nashville, Tenn.-based company, whose first Las Vegas office opens Sept. 16.
      Lifesigns founder and CEO, Dr. Otis Plunk, created the medical center in 1991 in response to what he viewed as conventional medicine's lukewarm treatment of preventative care.
      His centers stressed early detection of disease and illness and gauged health risks via a comprehensive physical examination that included tests and screenings for osteoporosis, pulmonary function, stress, glaucoma, body composition, prostate and breast cancer and more.
      "The emphasis here is on prevention and early detection," Dr. Theodore M. Rutledge said from Lifesigns office at 7201 W. Lake Mead Blvd., Suite 450. "We can catch things missed by a typical physical examination. By catching problems early, we can save lives."
      And save money, according to medical industry reports. Cardiovascular disease treatment alone costs $274 billion a year. Experts say early detection of this and other illnesses could cut health-care costs as much as 70 percent.
      Lifesigns account executive Burton Bracken said the medical center should appeal to cost-conscious employers and self-insured businesses hit hard by employee medical bills. Big-name clients include Federal Express, Union Planters Bank and Time Warner.
      Lifesigns touts its convenience -- services offered in one place and on one floor and the thoroughness of its executive physical -- and a two- to three-hour exam conducted with the latest in high-tech equipment and warm atmosphere. Lifesigns centers resemble cozy dens.
      "Some executives choose to go to San Diego or Phoenix to get well-care exams, not because they can't get those services here but because it may take two, three or four days to get everything done," Bracken said. "We offer a complete battery of tests and screenings in one convenient place, and we do it in a few hours."
      Head-to-toe physical exams are backed by a survey ultrasound test conducted by a radiologist. The ultrasound can reveal abnormalities in the aorta, kidneys, liver, pancreas, spleen, thyroid gland and other internal organs that may be missed during a typical exam.
      The 4,700-square-foot medical center has multiple rooms for additional tests, including laboratory and blood urinanalysis, chest X-rays, electrocardiogram, hearing test, eye screening and body fat calculation. Patients receive a lifecard, a wallet-sized card with microfilm summarizing their complete medical record.
      Chest X-rays allow physicians to scan for abnormalities in the lungs, heart and bony structures of the chest. The fat-analyzing body composition analysis can locate tumors via a process called electrical impedance.
      A series of small currents applied to the body yields a set of potential difference measurements and creates a map of the area, identifying problems where none should exist.
      Age and gender-specific tests are also available. DexaScan searches for low bone density and other factors that lead to osteoporosis, a bone-degenerating disease that affects more than 28 million Americans, 80 percent of whom are women. More than 1 million Americans annually suffer fractures of the hip, spine and wrist.
      "There are many factors that contribute to the risk of osteoporosis, such as gender, age and family history," Rutledge said. "Asians, whites and small-boned people are more at risk. If we can detect osteoporosis early, we can make the necessary recommendations -- get more calcium and Vitamin D, exercise -- and we can treat it with medication."
      The pulmonary test gauges lung capacity, oxygen intake and metabolic fitness. Treadmill stress tests are used to diagnose and coronary artery disease and stress. One in four Americans has high blood pressure. If left untreated, high blood pressure can lead to heart attack, stroke, heart and kidney failure.
      Other problem-specific screening includes complete optometric exams -- testing for dilation, refraction, glaucoma and other eye disfunction and setting eyeglass prescriptions -- as well as pap-smear, pelvic and breast exams, mammograms and sigmoidoscopy (inspecting the lower colon and rectum for colon-rectal cancer and other abnormalities). HIV and prostate cancer testing may be performed at the client's request.
      "We want people to get into the habit of well-exams," Bracken said. "Ultimately, it makes for a healthier person and a healthier workforce."