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Tools for Employers and Health Plans: Lowering Health Risks

Health risk assessments (HRAs) can help raise consumers’ awareness of their health status and motivate them to make changes to improve their health and well-being. They can also help employers plan health promotion programs and track their results. But research shows that HRAs will do little to change consumers’ behavior without accompanying follow-up and supports. Following are some tips, tools and resources for making effective use of HRAs.

What you can do now: Employers

• Make an HRA available to employees and their dependents
• Promote your HRA with incentives and by using an HRA that is easy to access and use
• Offer follow-up such as telephone coaching or tailored emails
• Use aggregated HRA results to guide benefit design or worksite wellness
  programs
• Support health risk reduction by making physical activity and good nutrition
  the easy choice in the workplace
  
  

What you can do now: Health Plans

• Offer HRAs along with incentives and coaching
• Provide summary results to indviduals with the option to send the results to their doctors
• Provide benefit information tailored to individuals’ HRA results
• Cover wellness visits so members can discuss HRA results with their doctors
• Provide aggregated health risk analyses to help guide employers

HRA Resources

Putting Health Promotion Into Practice: Local Examples

Related Resources: Workplace Wellness

HRA Resources

Health Status Awareness Survey

The Spokane Regional Health District offers employers the opportunity to set up an account that will enable their employees to take the District’s validated health survey. Employers with accounts then receive regular reports on the collective results to help guide their wellness programs. This service is available free of charge.

(Source: Spokane Regional Health District)

Heath Risk Assessments: Best Practices (PDF)

Tips to help make HRAs a catalyst for positive changes in your employees’ health (Source: Puget Sound Health Alliance)

HRA Checklist for Employers (PDF)

Considerations for employers when selecting and using HRAs

(Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Ethics Guidelines for Development and Use of HRAs

Ethical issues to consider in implementing HRA programs

(Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Health Risk Appraisals at the Worksite: Basics for HRA Decisionmaking (PDF)

Tips and tools for selecting and implementing an HRA for use in the workplace.

(Source: National Business Coalition on Health)

Ideas for Incentives (PDF)

Look at a sampling of incentives employers have offered employees for taking HRAs and their relative participation rates. Note: data are from 2004

(Source: Mercer)


Putting Health Promotion Into Practice: Local Examples

King County Health Reform Initiative

How-to information, lessons learned and other resources from King County’s innovative Health Reform Initiative, which includes online health assessments and

a variety of strategies to build and support healthy workplaces.

(Source: King County)

First Choice Health Preventive Benefits Card (PDF)

This wallet-sized card lists coverage for recommended preventive services, screenings and drugs to help members work effectively with their doctors to get the care they need.

(Source: First Choice Health)

Related Resources: Workplace Wellness

To make changes in response to HRAs, employees need support. Below are some resources for fostering a workplace where the healthy choice is the easy choice.

Wellness Tools and Tips

Resources on this website include calculators, a health events calendar, success stories, and tips for do-it-yourself health and wellness campaigns. You can also schedule a technical assistance consultation for wellness staff.

(Source: Association of Washington Cities)

Guidelines to Help Energize Your Meetings (PDF)

Suggestions for meeting food, beverages and physical activities

(Source: Washington State Department of Health)

10 Ideas for Improving Health in the Workplace (PDF)

Quick tips for steps you can take to promote health in your workplace

(Source: Washington Health Foundation)

Puget Sound Fresh

Find a local farmer’s market…or bring the market to your workplace

(Source: Cascade Harvest Coalition)

STEPS to a Healthier Workforce

Tips, resources and customized support to help Thurston County employers design healthy workplaces

(Source: Thurston County STEPS to a Healthier Workforce)

Why Invest? (PDF)

Recommendations for effective investments in your employees’ health.

(Source: Partnership for Prevention)

The Growing Crisis of Chronic Disease (PDF)

A fact sheet on the costs and other burdens of chronic disease.

(Source: Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease)

Selecting a Wellness Vendor (PDF)

Questions to consider if you’re hiring a wellness vendor to help with health coaching or other services.

(Source: Wellness Councils of America)