Execs whose talent and institutional memory are key to business success need to make sure they’re guarding one of their organization’s most important assets: leaders’ health. That why nearly a quarter of all Fortune 500 companies require their top executives to undergo an annual physical.

The one- or two-day complete checkup is geared toward preventing illness among senior managers and ensuring that any emerging conditions are caught early and treated promptly.

The cost: Between $1,000 and $5,000. At the high end of the scale, expensive scans and tests are run. The lower-end physical may just include routine blood work and be more like the standard physical many folks have on a regular basis.

In any case, the company insists that execs prove they’ve had a thorough screening and gotten a physician’s advice on staying healthy.

In many cases, the company’s insurance policy will cover the cost of the annual physical.

For many busy business leaders, taking the time away from work to have a battery of medical tests can seem like a waste of time and get shoved to the back burner from year to year. It’s just up to the leadership of the firm to mandate that their most valuable players get to the appointment and take the results seriously.

The health of the company could depend on it.

For more on the executive physical, check out “Executive Physicals: What’s the ROI?” from the Harvard Business Review.