NEW YORK CITY (CBS News) – Full-body diagnostic scans have become a celebrity wellness staple, but at $1,000 to $5,000 out of pocket, most people can’t afford them. Now a European health tech company called Neko Health is betting it can change that — starting in New York City.
Neko Health opened its first U.S. location Thursday, charging $499 for a comprehensive health scan that skips the expensive MRI and uses technology the company designed itself. During an exclusive first look inside the facility, a company doctor discovered a genetic condition in this reporter’s bloodwork that standard physicals rarely screen for.
Inside the scan: What to expect
The experience begins before you ever walk through the door. Patients fill out a detailed health questionnaire — covering family history and personal habits — on their phones before their appointment.
Inside, the space looks more like a science fiction movie set than a doctor’s office. A technician guides patients through a series of exams, starting with a dermatology device that captures 6,000 two-dimensional and three-dimensional photos of the entire body.
From there, a blood draw goes directly up a pneumatic chute for immediate testing. Additional sensors measure blood pressure, heart rate, and an EKG. A high-tech foot scan uses lights of different wavelengths to analyze tissue at a molecular level. There is even a glaucoma eye test. The full appointment takes about an hour.
A personal discovery: What is Lp(a)?
After the scan, internist Dr. Brian Lee reviewed the results and flagged something in the bloodwork: an elevated Lp(a) level — a genetic marker tied to cardiovascular risk.
“It’s really looking at your genetic risk,” Dr. Lee said. “They have a higher tendency to stick to the wall and cause plaque formation.”
According to the American Heart Association, 20% of people have an Lp(a) level over 50 — which carries an elevated risk of heart attack or stroke. While new guidelines recommend people test for it at least once in their lifetime, standard bloodwork rarely includes an Lp(a) screening.
“We actually have to be even more cautious and even more aggressive in terms of cholesterol management,” Dr. Lee said.
What doctors say about the technology
Not everyone is convinced the scans are a replacement for traditional care.
Dr. Fiorina Kyritsi, an internist and instructor at Mount Sinai, said some of Neko’s technology is unvalidated and that many of the same exams could be performed by a traditional doctor — and covered by insurance.
“I think that can be a powerful tool to complement primary care, but I don’t see how it replaces someone’s long-term relationship with their primary doctor,” Dr. Kyritsi said.
Neko Health co-founder and CEO Hjalmar Nilsonne acknowledged the skepticism but said the company’s focus is detecting chronic disease before it becomes a crisis.
“Cardiovascular disease is the biggest killer in the world,” Nilsonne said. “There are countless people out there who are walking around with conditions that we can prevent, but today, no one is caring for them.”
Celebrity buzz, Silicon Valley backing
Full-body scans have attracted high-profile attention in recent years. Actor Busy Philips recently shared her medical journey publicly after a brain tumor was detected during a scan at a similar facility. Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton have also spoken publicly about scans from companies like Prenuvo and Ezra.
Neko Health was co-founded in 2018 by Spotify founder Daniel Ek, with backing from investors including Mark Zuckerberg and Dr. Priscilla Chan. The company started in Stockholm, Sweden, and has since expanded to six locations in the United Kingdom. U.S. expansion plans include clinics in Miami, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco. The company says thousands of people are already on the waitlist.
The scans are not covered by insurance.