Health Risk Assessments: Quality Guidelines
Health Risk Assessments (HRAs) are tools that identify and quantify an individual's risk of morbidity or mortality using demographic, medical and lifestyle information. "Health Risk Appraisals (HRAs) and Medicare", an evaluation report completed by RAND for CMS, reached the following conclusions.
- Effective Health Risk Assessment (HRA) programs have demonstrated beneficial effects on behavior, physiological variables and general health status
- Interventions that combine Health Risk Assessment (HRA) feedback with the provision of Wellness Plans are most likely to show beneficial effects
- To be effective, Health Risk Assessment (HRA) questionnaires must be accompanied by follow-up interventions (e.g., information, support and referrals)
High quality Health Risk Assessments (HRAs) offer, a computation for individual risk from the following common illnesses and risk factors.
- Chronic Asthma
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
- Diabetes
- High Blood Pressure
- Ischemic heart disease
- Major depression
- Stroke
- Overweight/Obesity
- Smoking / Tobacco Use
- Mental health
- Immunizations
The Health Risk Assessment (HRA) gathers and evaluates information to predict a individual's likelihood of experiencing the common illnesses.
Health Risk Appraisals (HRAs): Demographic characteristics
An individual's age, gender and ethnicity are indicators of elevated risk for certain illnesses or conditions. At a minimum, the Health Risk Assessment (HRA) must gather information, to the extent allowed by law, information on the individual's age, gender and ethnicity.
The Health Risk Assessment (HRA) must include queries addressing the individual's personal and family history of illnesses or risk factors for common illnesses or conditions. The Health Risk Assessment (HRA) must include queries to assess health risks related to the highly personal health characteristics and behaviors listed below.
- Weight
- Diet and Nutrition
- Smoking / Tobacco Use
- High Blood Pressure
- Cholesterol
- Physical activity
- Alcohol Use
- Traveling by motor vehicle
- Stress Management
- Mental health
Perceived Health Status
The Health Risk Assessment (HRA) must include queries that assess An individual's self-perceived health status. The queries must allow an individual to rate their own health status on a relative scale.
Disclosure of use of Health Risk Assessment (HRA) information
The business must disclose how the information obtained from the Health Risk Assessment (HRA) will be used and to whom it will be disclosed. The business may offer the disclosure and use information within the Health Risk Assessment (HRA) tool or reports or through written communications.
Ability to save/print Health Risk Assessment (HRA) results
Internet-based Health Risk Assessment (HRA) must give the individual the ability to save/print his or her Health Risk Assessment (HRA) results. For paper-based Health Risk Appraisals (HRAs), the business must have a mechanism in place for the individual to receive a written copy of the results.
Health Risk Assessment (HRA) Results
Organizations must offer a printed/printer-friendly online report for each individual participant. The health risk appraisal results report may focus on either individual risks for specified diseases or on Wellness.
Health Risk Assessment (HRA) computations may focus on either individual risks based on individual risk factors or on overall risk or health. The report must offer an explanatory information to assist them understand the outcome. Reports must clearly identify specific behaviors that can lower risk for each risk factor, and recommend targets for improvement.
Reports must include resources (e.g., community programs, online resources and materials) that can assist individuals change to a healthier lifestyle. At a minimum, the business must provide computation for individual risk from the following common illnesses and risk factors.
- Chronic Asthma
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
- Diabetes
- High Blood Pressure
- Ischemic heart disease
- Major depression
- Stroke
- Overweight/Obesity
- Smoking
- Mental health
- Immunizations
Health Risk Assessment (HRA) report
The Health Risk Assessment (HRA) must provide online print-friendly results and the ability for the user to print the results. The Health Risk Assessment (HRA) report must include a profile of individual risk level for individual diseases or conditions according to an individual's, gender, ethnicity and risk factors that were identified in the questionnaire. The report must clearly identify specific behaviors that can lower the risk for each risk factor and recommend targets for improvements.
Available Resources
The Health Risk Assessment (HRA) report must also include references to resources that can assist the individual understand the Health Risk Assessment (HRA) results and aid the individual in changing to a healthier lifestyle.
The resources might include references to relevant online resources, materials and community programs.
Source: NCQA