Academic health systems are opening their own longevity medicine programs amid growing demand for preventive care, The New York Times reported Oct. 16.
Since last fall, Los Angeles-based Cedars-Sinai, Chicago-based Northwestern Medicine and New York City-based Weill Cornell Medicine have launched programs aimed at extending health span, or the years a person lives without chronic disease or disability. New York City-based Mount Sinai Health System also expects to open its program this month.
The academic systems’ research entities are playing important roles in shaping these programs. For example, Northwestern’s clinic draws partly on the university’s Potocsnak Longevity Institute, which is studying biomarkers of aging.
The systems are betting that their research ties will set them apart from the hundreds of private U.S. longevity clinics. Some of those clinics charge thousands to tens of thousands of dollars a year, and many offer screenings and therapies that are not yet proven effective.
The field is still developing, and health systems are drawing different lines on clinical evidence. Northwestern does not offer whole-body MRI, citing a lack of evidence that it lengthens life span, nor does it offer genome sequencing. Meanwhile, Mount Sinai will offer both after patients review the risks and benefits with their physician.
“We know for those with financial means who want this testing we’re losing that share of the market, but we have a pretty strong line in the sand about it,” Baljash Cheema, MD, medical director of Northwestern’s longevity clinic, told the Times.
Cost remains a barrier for many patients because insurers cover few longevity services. Northwestern charges $5,500 a year to participate in the program. Weill Cornell charges $7,500 for a one-time assessment and $12,000 for a program with quarterly visits. Cedars-Sinai uses a different model: Insurance covers its core evaluation, and patients get other assessments through research trials.
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