Explaining Health Risk Assessments

More and more healthcare organizations are placing Health Risk Assessments (HRAs) on the front lines of their population management efforts. The HRA is an educational instrument (developed by medical experts) that utilizes a series of questions and some laboratory data in order to identify both positive and negative influences upon the health of individuals.  Whether on paper or online, HRAs are being used by companies as a screening tool to label the overall health status of the participants.   While the HRA is a valuable tool, it is not a diagnostic instrument.  It cannot take the place of a physician who should be consulted in the event that the HRA results reveal a value that is abnormally high or low.

The HRA identifies those employees whose lifestyles and behaviors are most likely to put them at high-risk for developing chronic diseases.  Low risk participants judged to be essentially healthy after completing the HRA can be encouraged to continue their healthy lifestyles or recommended to health maintenance programs.  Those shown to be at moderate risk are offered education aimed at addressing specific negative behaviors or results.    Once employees at high-risk for developing chronic diseases have been identified, follow-up intervention can be implemented for them.  That follow-up intervention almost always includes a visit with the employee’s primary doctor in order to ensure prompt medical attention. Ideally, this keeps healthy employees healthy, identifies those on the threshold of a serious illness and puts them on the right path, and offers the chronically ill the opportunity to alter risky behaviors and learn to manage their conditions.

An employer may gain numerous benefits when applying the data accumulated by administering HRAs directly into wellness and disease management programs.  But, what is in it for the employee?   The HRA provides a comprehensive evaluation of the employee’s health status.  It gives them a “snapshot” of what their health status is on any given day.  By identifying potential health problems, it allows them to gain timely medical attention for health problems of which they may have been unaware. It raises their consciousness of their own health status and allows them to consider their life activities and the opportunities available to improve their health status over time.  Most importantly, it highlights the areas in which they can make changes to significantly improve their overall health status and, ultimately, their quality of life.