What Does an Executive Physical Really Cost? A CEO’s Guide to Pricing, ROI, and Hidden Gaps
Ask ten CEOs what an executive physical costs, and you’ll likely hear the same answer: anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000. That number isn’t wrong, but it’s incomplete. The real cost of an executive physical isn’t found on the invoice.
It shows up in what’s missing, in the blind spots left unchecked, and in how those gaps quietly compound to affect your clarity, your longevity, and ultimately, the billion-dollar enterprise you lead.
For leaders, the stakes are different. An annual check-up isn’t about simply checking boxes; it’s about your ROI on sharper decision-making, sustained energy, and future-proofing the asset that everything else depends on: you.
Yet most “executive physicals” offered today fall short. They deliver lab results and a binder of recommendations, but stop there. What’s missing is a deeper, continuous system of optimization: the kind that anticipates challenges, adapts as your body and demands change, and protects you from the million-dollar mistakes that stem from brain fog, missed diagnoses, or burnout.
This article breaks down the true cost of an executive physical: what’s included, what’s not, and what CEOs should demand if they want their health strategy to match the scale of their leadership.
The Price Tag You See
Traditional executive physicals typically run $2,000–$10,000.
They include bloodwork, imaging, stress tests, and consultations.
On paper, it looks complete, but it’s just a snapshot in time.
The Hidden Gaps No One Talks About
Missing advanced diagnostics: deuterium testing, full-body MRIs, cardiovascular imaging, brain performance assessments, and more.
No ongoing interpretation or continuity—just data with little context.
What’s needed instead: a performance team that functions like your Formula 1 pit crew, adjusting and fine-tuning in real time.
The True Investment of a Comprehensive Approach
A true health operating system ranges from $15,000 to $100,000+ annually, depending on personalization and support.
This isn’t an expense; it’s an investment. The ROI comes in sharper thinking, sustained presence, optimal body composition, and avoiding preventable early exits.
One foggy decision or missed diagnosis can cost millions, and that’s being conservative.
The Big Idea on Executive Physicals
For elite leaders, health isn’t a luxury. It’s your infrastructure and your best insurance. The wrong kind of physical may leave blind spots that compound into costly setbacks. At Executive Health, we go beyond the binder of results. We provide advanced diagnostics, interpretation, and continuity to ensure your billion-dollar asset is protected and optimized for the long term.
Closing Line on Executive Physicals
To see the full breakdown, watch the video below. And if you’re a CEO or founder who’s ready for a deeper look at your health strategy, consider this your invitation to explore Executive Health and the ROI of leading with precision.
Transcript (May Not Be Exact)
Julian Hayes II
(0:00) What does an executive physical really cost? (0:04) Most people think about the price tag on a piece of paper, but here's the truth. (0:10) The real cost shows up in what's not included, in what gets overlooked, and ultimately, in how those gaps affect your health, your business, and most importantly, your family.
Julian Hayes II
(0:26) Welcome, I'm Julian Hayes II, founder of Executive Health, where we help CEOs, entrepreneurs, and other A-level leaders optimize their billion-dollar assets so they can thrive in business, lead in their communities, and be more present with their families. (0:40) Now, let's get clear on why this question matters. (0:44) For CEOs, for founders, and other A-level leaders, the cost, the investment, it is not just about the money.
(0:54) It's about your return of investment as it pertains to your clarity, as it pertains to your decision-making, as it pertains to your executive presence, as it pertains to you being a better spouse, as it pertains to you being a better father, a better mother, and of course, your longevity. (1:11) And so the stakes are not the same as someone who just needs a check on that box, as someone who just needs an average annual checkup. (1:20) Because you're responsible for hundreds, sometimes thousands of people, and even more so if we really want to do this.
(1:30) If you have a thousand employees that you're responsible for, they have families, a lot of them. (1:38) That's even more. (1:39) So you can probably throw that into maybe four or 5,000 now.
(1:45) And lastly, you're responsible for your own family legacy. (1:49) So not only is there pressure, there's pressure on both ends. (1:52) And so when your health slips, everything else comes under pressure.
(1:56) So the cost of an executive physical, the cost of optimizing your health and staying on top of it, isn't really about the cost now. (2:08) It's about whether it protects the infrastructure that you're leaving from. (2:14) So let's break this down.
(2:16) The first part is, the part that we're going to see first is the price tag, the cost of the investment. (2:25) So when we think about this, you'll see a traditional executive physical at a major hospital or maybe one of those concierge clinics. (2:35) And it can range from anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000.
(2:40) And on paper, it starts with a few thousand dollars. (2:46) And you'll see blood work. (2:48) You'll see some imaging.
(2:49) You'll see some stress tests. (2:50) You'll see a few basic consultations throughout the day with a few specialists. (2:58) And for many, this feels and actually it actually is and looks like a one and done box that you check off each year that you give back to your board.
(3:09) Sometimes companies require their executives to go do some of these basic screenings. (3:14) So now you have this check on the box to show the board that you're competent to lead another year. (3:18) And then you wipe it off and then off you go.
(3:23) But there's gaps that you don't see. (3:24) And this is the second piece of the puzzle. (3:28) Oftentimes, these physicals, these checkups, they often give you data without context.
(3:35) That's my only thing that I don't like. (3:38) You get a nice binder. (3:39) You're in a nice building.
(3:41) Maybe get a great meal. (3:43) You get some lifestyle tips. (3:45) But then you're just sent back into the grind.
(3:47) You're sent back into the hustle. (3:52) And that's it. (3:53) And so what's missing is, you know, from a diagnostic standpoint, more things that actually predict future risk, deuterium testing as I talk about, full body MRIs, cardiovascular imaging, brain performance assessment, leveraging things like a VO2 max.
(4:11) That's been around for a while. (4:13) But the way that we think about it, the way that we use it, that's been a little more upgraded recently. (4:18) Even things like a DEXA scan and all the different things involved in there that we can look at and use that as a tool to start predicting future risk and how this person is actually living.
(4:31) And after all those things, because those things are still what I consider surface level tools. (4:37) They're great tools, but they're still surface level. (4:41) Most importantly, what's missing is continuity.
(4:46) When we think about this, a single snapshot annually doesn't help you adapt when your body and business demand shifts from month to month. (5:00) You might be in Europe for three weeks in June and then you're heading right back for two weeks and then you're heading somewhere else again. (5:12) Multiple time zones, multiple stressors, other lifestyle factors going on, how are we going to program that training?
(5:21) How are we going to program that nutrition? (5:22) How are we going to optimize various circadian behaviors? (5:27) These are the things that are important.
(5:29) So that's where the power of having a performance team that operates like an F1 pit crew comes in. (5:37) And so when we think about the true investment of a comprehensive approach, we're thinking a world-class physical isn't a line item. (5:47) We're thinking it's the start of a system actually, right?
(5:52) The strategy is just a start as I like to think about and talk about. (5:56) So you have, of course, you've got testing assessments and all that cool stuff, but you have interpretations, you have ongoing optimization, you have something where you actually get to know the person psychologically, especially. (6:11) So when you're looking at that, sometimes you have programs and these run 15,000, about 100,000 annually, depending on the level of personalization and support.
(6:21) Even with that, and that may be a sticker shock to some, but the real question is, actually, let me take that back. (6:29) The real question isn't what does it cost? (6:32) The real question is, what does it save you?
(6:37) Missing a deal because you're mentally foggy. (6:40) How much is that worth? (6:42) Stepping away from the business early due to preventable illness, how much is that worth?
(6:47) Having a few extra days where you're not sick throughout the year, how much is that worth in time? (6:55) Losing presence with your family, most importantly, how much is that? (6:59) Having things that steal your time away, how much is that worth?
(7:03) Those are million dollar mistakes and that's being conservative right there. (7:08) And so you might be thinking, wow, sounds a little expensive. (7:14) And I would counter that and say expensive is relative.
(7:18) As a mentor shared with me years ago, expensive is relative. (7:22) A top CEO's time is conservative, is conservatively worth thousands of dollars per hour. (7:28) So it's all relative.
(7:30) But one bad decision made under fatigue, made under brain fog, that could cost far more than an investment of your health. (7:38) There's team members at stake there. (7:40) So it's not even just you that would have to deal with that, it's the organization.
(7:43) It's the company as a whole. (7:46) One misdiagnosis can derail not only your career, but your family's future. (7:50) So the question isn't, can I afford it?
(7:53) The real question is, can I afford not to? (8:00) So let's circle back around. (8:01) What does an executive physical really cost?
(8:04) On paper, it starts at a few thousand dollars when we're looking at this from a monetary fiat standpoint. (8:13) But in reality, it's a little deeper. (8:16) The wrong kind of physical can cost you clarity.
(8:19) It can cost you peace of mind. (8:21) It can cost you market share. (8:23) It can cost you frustration.
(8:24) It can cost you longevity. (8:27) And it can cost you the very asset that you're building your life on, that you're building your life for, which is your family. (8:35) So at Executive Health, we make sure that your billion dollar asset is protected, is optimized.
(8:41) So you can keep leading at the highest level. (8:43) If this resonates with you, if this piques your curiosity, go ahead and click the link below to schedule a private Executive Health diagnostic call and think of this as a chemistry meeting to see if working together makes sense. (8:56) And until next time, stay awesome, be limitless, optimize today so you can lead tomorrow.
(9:01) Peace.
