Guidelines for Health Risk Assessments (HRAs)

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

Assessments (HRAs) and Medicare", an evaluation report completed by RAND for CMS, reached the

following conclusions.

• Effective Health Risk Assessment (HRA) plan have demonstrated beneficial effects on behavior,

physiological variables and general health status
• Interventions that combine Health Risk Assessment (HRA) feedback with the provision of Health

Plans are most likely to show beneficial effects
• To be effective, Health Risk Assessment (HRA) questionnaires should 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 most common diseases and risk factors.

• Asthma
• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseaase (COPD)
• Diabetes
• High Blood Pressure
• Ischemic heart disease
• Major depression
• Stroke
• Overweight/Obesity
• Use of Tobaccos Products
• Mental health
• Immunizations

The Health Risk Assessment (HRA) collects and reviews information to predict a member's

likelihood of experiencing the most common diseases.

Health Risk Assessments (HRAs): Demographic characteristics

A person's age, gender and ethnicity are indicators of elevated risk for certain diseases. At

minimum, the Health Risk Assessment (HRA) should collect information, to the extent allowed by

law, information on the member's age, gender and ethnicity.

The Health Risk Assessment (HRA) should include queries addressing the individual's personal and

family history of diseases or risk factors for common diseases. The Health Risk Assessment (HRA)

must include queries to assess health risks related to the highly personal health characteristics

and behaviors listed below.

• Weight Management
• Nutrition
• Use of Tobaccos Products
• High Blood Pressure
• Cholesterol
• Exercise
• Alcohol consumption
• Traveling by motor vehicle
• Stress Management
• Mental health

Perceived Health Status

The Health Risk Assessment (HRA) should include queries that assess A person's self-perceived

health status. The queries should allow an individual to rate their own health status on a

relative scale.

Disclosure of use of Health Risk Assessment (HRA) information

The organization should disclose how the information obtained from the Health Risk Assessment

(HRA) will be used and to whom it'll be disclosed. The organization may offer the disclosure and

use information within the Health Risk Assessment (HRA) tool or reports or through written

communications.

Ability to save and print Health Risk Assessment (HRA) results

Internet-based Health Risk Assessment (HRA) should give the member the ability to save and print

his or her Health Risk Assessment (HRA) results. For paper-based Health Risk Assessments (HRAs),

the organization should have a mechanism in place for the member to receive a written copy of the

results.

Health Risk Assessment (HRA) Results

Companies should offer a printed or printer-friendly internet-based report for each individual

participant. The report may emphasis on either individual risks for specified diseases or on

Health.

Health Risk Assessment (HRA) computations may emphasis on either individual risks based upon

personal risk factors or on overall risk or health. The report should offer an explanatory

information to help them understand the outcome. Reports should clearly identify behaviors that

can lower risk for each risk factor, and recommend targets for improvement. Reports should

include resources (e.g., community plan, internet-based information and materials) that can help

members change to a healthier lifestyle. At minimum, the organization should give computation for

individual risk from the following most common diseases and risk factors.

• Asthma
• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseaase (COPD)
• Diabetes
• High Blood Pressure
• Ischemic heart disease
• Major depression
• Stroke
• Overweight/Obesity
• Use of Tobaccos Products
• Mental health
• Immunizations

Health Risk Assessment (HRA) report

The Health Risk Assessment (HRA) should give internet-based print-friendly results and the

ability for the user to print the results. The Health Risk Assessment (HRA) report should include

a profile of individual risk level for personal conditions or diseases according to age, gender,

ethnicity and risk factors that were identified in the questionnaire. The report should clearly

identify behaviors that can lower the risk for each risk factor and recommend targets for

improvements.
Available Resources

The Health Risk Assessment (HRA) report should also include references to resources that can help

the member understand the Health Risk Assessment (HRA) results and assist the member in changing

to a healthier lifestyle.

The resources can include references to relevant internet-based information, materials and

community plan.