Biometric screens
are a simple way of assessing your overall health.
Biometric screens are short-form physical assessments that track a small number of significant indicators of a person's overall health. Often offered as part of an employer-sponsored wellness benefit program because they help reduce a company's overall health-coverage costs, biometric health screens are growing in popularity, although they do not substitute for appropriate care by a licensed physician.
Purpose
A biometric health screen is intended to provide a patient with a simple scorecard of the leading indicators of overall health. This scorecard has two purposes. First, it gives the patient an early warning and a chance for follow-up by a nurse, about any emerging medical problems. Second, it sets a baseline of health that allows a business or insurance company to determine whether behavioral changes (often part of an incentive package) led to measurable improvements in any of those indicators.
Items Screened
Each screening is different. In general, however, a person's height, weight, blood pressure, total cholesterol and triglycerides are scored by a nurse. Many assessments include self-reported scores related to smoking and dietary choices. More advanced screenings may include a measure of cardiopulmonary function, including the heart rate after a certain amount of aerobic exercise.
Health Assessments
After each indicator is measured, a nurse may provide an overall score or assessment based on the results. Some incentive programs require a minimum number of indicators being "in the green" or provide a statistically significant level of improvement over the course of a year in order to qualify for a benefit. Some assessments may include a recommendation to seek treatment from a physician because of a very high level of blood pressure or cholesterol.
Business Benefits
Businesses are embracing employee wellness programs on the theory that promoting a healthier workforce will reduce employee use of health benefits. This lower overall utilization will translate into lower group-premium rates that the employer is liable to cover. By providing up-front incentives to live a healthier lifestyle, an employee may be able to avert behaviorally induced medical conditions later in life that are costly to the employer as well as the employee.
Health Benefits
The major health benefit to employees is that they are provided, usually at no cost, an overview of their major medical indicators by a trained clinical professional. Some employees fail to get routine health screenings by their doctors, so a biometric health screening may be the first warning they get that they are in the early stages of a potential health problem.
Tags: biometric health, overall health, assessments include, Biometric screens, blood pressure, that they
