Frequently Asked Questions
- What is a Health Risk Assessment (HRA)?
- Can I participate in the HRA and Health Coach Service during work time?
- What kind of information do I get from completing the HRA?
- How will my confidentiality be maintained?
- How often can I take the HRA?
- Will participation be mandatory or voluntary?
- With budget cuts and financial difficulties, why is the University supporting this initiative ?
- How will this program be funded?
- Will this affect my health insurance premium?
- Can my spouse or dependents participate?
- Can Merit Staff participate?
- Will retirees be eligible to participate?
- What if my report shows indicates something of significant concern and I have not given my permission to have someone contact me?
- Can I use services outside of UI/UIHC services?
- How will this program interact with my health care provider?
- When will these services be available?
- Are these services/programs a “one shot deal? "
- How will the organization know if these types of programs work?
What is a Health Risk Assessment (HRA)?
The Health Risk Assessment (HRA) survey tool consists of questions related to individual lifestyle practices and health history factors that have the highest impact on individual health, and biometric measures to determine health status. Generally biometric measures include height, weight, blood pressure, cholesterol (total and HDL) and blood glucose. These numbers can be self-reported or measured professionally. Lifestyle questions focus on exercise, nutrition, diabetes risk, smoking, alcohol, stress, well-being and personal/family medical history. Additionally, the HRA addresses a person’s “readiness to change” that allows for development of tailored interventions to meet specific needs. Utilization of an HRA every year provides for individual health risk reduction through follow-up counseling or referral to appropriate services.
Can I participate in the HRA and Health Coach Service during work time?
You may complete the HRA during work time, as your workload allows. It should take 15-20 minutes to complete. Meetings with a Health Coach must be done on non-work time or by receiving permission from your supervisor; the same is true for participation in any subsequent liveWELL programs.
What kind of information do I get from completing the HRA?
You receive an individualized report that identifies your level of risk in a number of areas related to health risks and lifestyle. The report provides you with recommendations for health improvement based on your level of risk and readiness to make changes.
How will my confidentiality be maintained?
The information will be stored on a secure system that resides with our third party vendor, Quality Health Solutions. Information will be reported in aggregate format only. Limited UI Wellness staff will have administrative access to individual and aggregate information. You must provide consent, when completing your HRA, to be contacted by UI Wellness staff to be scheduled for the Health Coach Service.
Individual health information will not be reviewed with you or others without your specific consent. (Review our privacy practices notice.)
How often can I take the HRA ?
You must wait 90 days before retaking the HRA. Meanwhile, you can review your feedback from your last Quality Health Survey by clicking on Feedback Report from the HRA homepage (accessed through Self Service). Please note that one can only earn the monetary incentive one time per calendar year.
Will participation be mandatory or voluntary?
Participation will be on a voluntary basis. Completion of the HRA will be financially incented at $50 or $65 once per year; there is a monthly drawing for $500. Participation in other programs, such as the Health Coach Service and subsequent behavior change programs will be cost-shared between The University and the employee.
With budget cuts and financial difficulties, why is the University supporting this initiative?
The University views this as an investment in an extremely important asset – the faculty and staff of this institution. Research supports preventive health programs provided at the workplace that support individual health improvement efforts, as they provide a positive return for the organization.
How will this program be funded?
The University Benefits Office will be funding the costs associated with this program.
Will this affect my health insurance premium?
The liveWELL program is available to staff members in 50% or greater regular positions. The University’s health plans -in which approximately 10,000 employee participate- are considered self-insured, which means the University is responsible for the costs of the claims incurred. It is hoped that one of the benefits of the liveWELL program will be a reduction in health care claims from the plan participants, and a measurable savings to the University health plans. The funding for the initial program is tied to the potential savings we hope to achieve from these insurance plans.
Can my spouse or dependents participate?
At this time, the program is only be open to faculty and staff. The current plan identifies a phased approach to open participation to spouses and dependents in the future.
Will retirees be eligible to participate?
At this time, the program will only be open to eligible faculty and staff. The current plan identifies a phased approach with the possibility of opening participation to retirees in the future.
What if my report indicates something of significant concern and I have not given my permission to have someone contact me?
You will only be contacted by a UI Wellness staff member if you have given your permission to do so. Within the written report that you receive, resources will be identified that you can contact directly for assistance in the event that you do not give permission. Additionally, you may contact the UI Wellness staff at any time with questions regarding your report.
Can I use services outside of UI/UIHC services?
At The University, we work to support our internal resources. However, we understand that accessibility, ease of use and other factors must be taken into consideration. Given that, internal and external resources will be available. We will make every effort to use internal resources as a first option. This decision will be made in conjunction with you and your Health Coach.
How will this program interact with my health care provider?
With your consent, the information from the HRA, and any referrals to a health coach, behavioral change program, or disease management program will be communicated directly to your health care provider. The goal of this program is to work collaboratively with your health care provider and provide you with resources that may be beneficial to your health. However, no communication will occur without your written consent.
Are these services/programs a “one shot deal? "
No. A comprehensive and integrated approach to health, productivity and safety is the long term goal of The University. liveWELL is an important part of this long term goal. This initiative will be an ongoing investment by The University to improve the health of faculty and staff.
How will the organization know if these types of programs work?
Measures of success have been identified for each phase of the program. Key metrics will be monitored and reported over time. These measurements include individual health improvement and reduction of risk factors, improvement in productivity/performance and containment of health care utilization/spending, as well as participation and satisfaction with services. For some outcomes, visit the Annual Report.