Medcan Clinic

The Medcan Clinic

Industry	healthcare
Founded	1987
Founder(s)	Dr. Robert Francis
Headquarters	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Area served	North America
Key people	Shaun Francis, CEO John Mozas, president and COO Dr. James Aw, medical director

The Medcan Clinic is a medical clinic located in Toronto, Ontario that specializes in preventive medicine. Medcan is one of the few medical clinics in Canada that derives most of its income from payment from firms, individuals, or private health insurance plans, rather than government-run insurance providers, such as the Ontario Health Insurance Plan.

What It Does

Medcan uses the tools of preventive medicine to manage a client base of approximately 30,000 people. Its best-known service is the comprehensive health assessment, a five-hour physical. The clinic also provides nutritional counseling and markets a line of nutritional supplements, in addition to other aspects of medical care.

Comprehensive Health Assessment

Medcan's five-hour "executive physical" begins with the client changing into gym clothes at the clinic. The client provides a urine sample, then undergoes a battery of scans and tests as well as an interview with a doctor. About half of the client visits are covered by the clients' employer, or the employer's health insurance. Through such appointments, Medcan claims that it detects previously undiscovered medical ailments in 48% of its clients.^[1] Medcan's President & COO, John Mozas, has been quoted as saying between 2% and 5% of previously undiagnosed diseases discovered by the comprehensive health assessment are life-threatening illnesses that are asymptomatic.^[2]

Medcan's comprehensive "physical", designed to be provided annually, includes the following evaluations:^[3]

• audiometric (hearing) tests
• visual acuity and pressure tonometry (to examine glaucoma risk)
• routine immunization check
• chest x-ray and overall respiratory exam
• 12-lead electrocardiogram stress test on a treadmill
• blood and urine analysis
• abdominal ultrasound to screen for possibility of aortic aneurysm and other risk factors
• prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test for men; pap smear, pelvic exam and transvaginal ultrasound for women
• bone density screening (identifies risk of osteoporosis)
• ankle brachial pressure index (measures ankle blood pressure to test for arterial hardening)
• fitness appraisal
• nutritional evaluation

Nutritional Counseling

Medcan offers nutritional counseling by dietitian Leslie Beck. The counseling aims to educate clients about how to maintain a balanced diet and a healthy weight as well as meeting nutrient needs. Medcan also markets a line of nutritional supplements, called Medcan Elements Daily Packs, which feature a range of vitamins and minerals, including omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants such as coenzyme Q10 , lycopene and lutein.

Pharmacogenomics and genetic screening

In October 2007, the Medcan Clinic became the first medical clinic^[4] in the province of Ontario to provide clients with services related to pharmacogenomics, a scientific technique that uses DNA analysis to cater drug treatment to individuals. Many pharmaceuticals are designed with an average individual in mind; typically, a middle-aged male with a mass of 70 kg (154 lb). But increasingly, such drugs as blood thinners and anti-depressants must have their dosage customized for a specific individual. That customization process can be laborious and stressful. It may also trigger adverse side effects. The Medcan Clinic uses pharmacogenomic techniques to minimize such inconveniences by employing DNA analysis to cater the dosage to the specific individual.^[5]

In addition, Medcan genetic consultants provide genetic screening services to clients to assess risks of such adult-onset diseases as diabetes, heart disease and cancer. The screening can also establish whether the client will pass on conditions or maladies to children.

Other services

Medcan provides the following additional services to clients:

• travel clinic, including vaccinations and follow-up examinations for such maladies as dengue fever, malaria and Japanese encephalitis.
• endoscopy clinic
• fitness training in Medcan's private facility with a team of personal trainers
• medical advice by e-mail during business hours, or by telephone, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• massage therapy
• prostate clinic
• dermatology centre
• back pain therapy centre

History

The Medcan Clinic was founded in 1987 by a medical doctor named Robert Francis. Francis was raised in Stellarton, Nova Scotia, the son of a rail worker, William Francis, and a grocery store manager, Euince (Keay) Francis. He graduated from St. Francis Xavier University with a bachelor of science degree at the age of 19. Encouraged by his family doctor to go into medical school, Francis enlisted in the Canadian Navy because the military branch would pay for his medical schooling. He attended medical school at McGill University and completed a residency at the Toronto General Hospital in internal medicine. In 1974 he set up shop on the 27th floor of Toronto's Toronto-Dominion Centre. The first company to contract Dr. Francis to manage the health of its executives was the Cadillac Fairview corporation then controlled by the Bronfman family. Since 2002, Medcan's CEO has been Dr. Francis' son, Shaun Francis, whose previous endeavors included undergraduate studies at the United States Naval Academy, working as an investment banker at New York's Morgan Stanley and taking an MBA from the Wharton School.^[6]

Affiliations

The Medcan Clinic has a partnership agreement with Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland through Johns Hopkins Medicine International. The agreement allows Medcan's clients to receive treatment and medical advice from the doctors and healthcare professionals at the U.S. hospital, which is the #1 hospital in the United States according to U.S. News & World Report.^[7]

Controversy

During the 2009 H1N1 Flu Pandemic, the Medcan clinic received 3,000 doses of the H1N1 Vaccine. Media reports indicated the clinic was offering the vaccine to its clients despite an Ontario Government declaration limiting vaccine doses to high-risk cases.^[8] Controversy erupted that these patients may be jumping the line for money.^[9] Soon after, however, Toronto Sun columnist Rob Granatstein established that Medcan was voluntarily giving out its share of the vaccine free of charge to anyone who wanted it, regardless of whether the patient was a Medcan client.^[10] Medcan's Medical Director, Dr. James Aw, confirmed Medcan was not charging for the vaccine and that during the vaccine shortage, Medcan was following public health guidelines and only giving the vaccine to those considered high risk.^[11] “We're just trying to co-operate with public health in terms of inoculating Canadians,” Dr. Aw said. “They've deemed us as a medical clinic that should receive a limited supply of vaccine to help inoculate people at risk of developing severe disease from this H1N1. So we're following guidelines, we do have to document who gets the vaccine, we have to report that back to public health." ^[12]

References

1. ^ National Post, 26 March 2005, "An incredible body of work", Dan Bortolotti, FW3
2. ^ National Post, 26 March 2005, "An incredible body of work", Dan Bortolotti, FW3
3. ^ http://www.medcan.com/clinic/comprehensive.asp?loc1=clinic&loc2=prevention&loc3=comprehensive
4. ^ As cited in the Oct. 1, 2007, article in the Canadian newsmagazine, Maclean's, by Steve Maich. Article link: http://www.macleans.ca/science/health/article.jsp?content=20071001_110053_110053
5. ^ As cited in the Oct. 1, 2007, article in the Canadian newsmagazine, Maclean's, by Steve Maich. Article link: http://www.macleans.ca/science/health/article.jsp?content=20071001_110053_110053
6. ^ Toronto Life, April 2005, "Let's Get Physicals", by Christopher Shulgan, pg. 34
7. ^ http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/best-hospitals/2008/07/10/best-hospitals-honor-roll.html
8. ^ CTV Toronto, Oct 30, 2009 "Private clinic offers no-wait shot -- for $2,300". Article link: http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20091030/medcan_clinic_091030/20091030/?hub=TorontoNewHome
9. ^ The Globe and Mail, Nov 2, 2009 "Private-clinic patients jump the line for flu shot". Article link: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/private-clinic-patients-jump-the-line-for-flu-shot/article1347746/
10. ^ Toronto Sun, Nov. 8, 2009, "Never mind the flu-rage: Do your homework, find a clinic and wait your turn -- the system's actually working". Article link: http://www.torontosun.com/comment/columnists/rob_granatstein/2009/11/08/11674756-sun.html
11. ^ http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/November2009/01/c4667.html
12. ^ http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/h1n1-swine-flu/private-clinic-doles-out-vaccine/article1346617/

External links

• Medcan Clinic web page