• Health assessments often screen common risks to help employees and the company track trends for future wellness goal setting.
• Health assessments must comply with federal regulations related to privacy and anti-discrimination.

A health risk assessment provides an employee with information about an individual’s health status and areas of concern. It can include a questionnaire that asks about health habits that can identify risk factors and a medical screening that includes several tests. Health risk assessments commonly screen for:

• Weight,
• Cholesterol (total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and HDL-cholesterol),
• Blood pressure, and
• Blood sugar (glucose).

Screening results can be used to direct employees to important resources or programs. Employees can also discuss the results with a primary care physician or health care provider.

A company may repeat these screenings annually and compare the aggregate information to previous years to look for trends.

Health assessments must comply with Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), as amended by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA):

• Confidentiality: Personal information must be kept confidential, though employers can receive aggregate results. This data can help determine which type of program would best serve the workforce. It can help determine whether the program should focus on heart health, smoking cessation, or stress relief, for example.
• Non-discrimination: If employees receive a reward or incentive for participating in a health risk assessment, or if the results are tied to a reduction in health care premiums, employers must make sure the program does not discriminate. It needs to be voluntary and follow the HIPAA/ACA, ADA, and GINA guidelines.