The new year is a great time to focus on health. Getting back on track is not only a laudable short-term goal, but for family offices, in particular it’s an important opportunity to put in place a comprehensive plan to proactively safeguard and maintain your family’s health wherever they may be.
“A health plan in the context of family offices brings the added layer of having to consider health risks and resources, often along with the relationship to security, both domestically and abroad,” says Dr. William Lang, Chief Medical Director of Crisis24 Private Strategic Group. “Multigenerational families travel and live around the world and require a health system that provides a quarterback and integrator for their healthcare whenever and wherever.”
Canadian Family Offices sat down with Dr. Lang to learn about Crisis24’s new head-of-state model of healthcare and how it can help Canada’s business families across generations and around the world.
What is Crisis24’s head-of-state healthcare model?
Seventy-five per cent of our physicians are former White House physicians. I worked in the White House for 12 years altogether, with both the Clinton and Bush administrations, and ended up running the medical unit. As Deputy Physician of the President of the United States, I had to think about what needed to happen to take care of not only the President, but their family, the President’s Cabinet, and the White House staff – 24/7, 365 days a year, and globally. Crisis24’s head-of-state healthcare model is focused on keeping leaders—in this case, family office principals—able to pursue their business interests and their life goals. And what we learned at the White House is that in order to best take care of leaders/principals, you have to take care of all the people around them, because if they don’t have their support structures, if their family isn’t in good shape, then they are not able to completely do the things they want or need to do in their life. That’s the head-of-state model.
How does it differ from traditional concierge medicine?
The typical concierge model is reactive. Clients call when they need something. We are proactively looking at comprehensive medicine, but not just typical preventive medicine. As you travel the world, interacting with people and going to places that have different health threats, we think about how we can mitigate those threats, including the threats associated with routine medical issues when they develop outside of their home support network. At the same time, we often have work with security in order to provide a healthy, safe and secure environment wherever our members may be in the world.
Why should family offices implement a head-of-state healthcare model?
Family offices and the individuals they serve need a healthcare system that provides a quarterback and integrator for their healthcare wherever and whenever. We are available 24/7 with a small team of physicians who are tuned into the principals and the rest of the family’s healthcare. We keep the practice small intentionally because we want to deliver that head-of-state level of care. The secret sauce of our process is our private client team, who will help you figure out what you need and make it happen. They gather and help us curate the records from wherever you may have received medical care in the world, so all the important items are abstracted, summarized, and available for the next doctor. If you need an appointment, they will make it happen. If you need a prescription, they will find how to get it to you. They will work with your executive assistants, family office manager, house manager or whoever it may be to facilitate getting everything done in the most time-efficient way possible, whether at home or on the road.
How does a head-of-state health care model mitigate health risks while travelling?
We understand healthcare abroad. Between our team of doctors and private client specialists, we have conducted onsite health systems assessments in over 125 countries. This has allowed us to develop a geographic understanding of systems and specialists around the world. In addition, one of our senior leader’s team ran another large company (now incorporated into Crisis24) that provided medical assistance around the world, developing a bespoke healthcare provider network of 30,000 vetted facilities in addition to accessing a comprehensive network of 1.3 million healthcare providers. We can find the right person to treat you just about anywhere in the world.
In practice, how does this apply to different family members, like children studying abroad?
Once you are outside of your home system, we are able to extend the provider relationship you’ve been familiar with wherever you may be. So, it’s not just at university, but wherever a child may be. Most issues these young adults encounter we can completely address virtually through the use of our health kit, which includes both diagnostic tools and full-course treatments of 18 of the most commonly prescribed medications. If they have their phone and/or access to the Internet, they can reach a trusted doctor who knows them, and we can help them wherever they are.
What are the unique benefits PSG Global Medical Concierge Practice offers?
We have a unique offering of comprehensive, integrated, global 24/7 health care, so you can access whatever you need for your health from wherever you are. Yet it’s about more than just your health. We can look at health either as a standalone discipline or as part of a broader picture including integrations with personal protection and cybersecurity. In 2026, security for the world’s leading families cannot be ignored. Years of research demonstrates that while health issues remain the most likely category of event that can disrupt the life of a senior leader (whether a personal event or one affecting a family member), the risk of a security event, especially targeted through the use of cyber tools continues to grow. Crisis24 can address each of these risk categories independently, or, even better, as an integrated whole.
*This conversation has been edited for clarity and length.
Disclaimer: This story was created by Canadian Family Offices’ commercial content division on behalf of Crisis24.