Assessment provides the context and rationale for health engagement and change. It establishes the baseline from which individuals begin their personal path to better health. During the assessment phase, individuals use WebMD’s best-in-class diagnostic and profiling tools, including our HealthQuotient health risk assessment, to identify their modifiable health risks and model the impact of their lifestyle choices.
What's the Problem? According to a 2008 study, approximately half of all American adults looked online for information about a specific disease or medical condition. Consumers are interested in (and need) tools to assess their health status and learn more about their choices.
The process begins when individuals provide answers to a series of directed questions. These questions are highly specific, relating to an individual’s demographic characteristics and life-stage, past and current health conditions, and their perceived health status. This self-reported information is augmented with available clinical information, such as physician encounter data, prescription medication data, and/or laboratory data. From this comprehensive record, WebMD assembles a dynamic master health profile, which is continuously updated and refreshed as new data is introduced.
Once we have built a unique master health profile for each individual, we develop an accurate – and extremely actionable – appraisal of the individual’s future level of health. Is he likely to develop heart disease? Is she at risk for diabetes? In the years to come, is there a high probability of a particular type of cancer? WebMD Health Services can help individuals answer each of these questions, which becomes an important first step in the effort to become a more informed and more empowered healthcare consumer.
Click on the links below to continue learning more about the Personal Path to Health, our comprehensive approach to health promotion and management.