Health Screenings

Preventive health services and screenings are an important part of monitoring employee health. These services can help with early detection of a disease and prevent developing chronic conditions such as obesity or diabetes.

doctor talking to man

Employers should encourage staff to participate in preventative services by offering exams onsite or providing incentives for seeking them out regularly from medical providers. One popular strategy is to require or reward employees for completing an online health risk assessment (HRA) and then talking to their doctor about the results.

The resources below provide information about screenings and other preventive services.

Preventive Services and Benefits Available Through Health Insurance Providers

  • UnitedHealthcare – Health & Wellness provides a total care approach for members interested in wellness and prevention or for those who need more complex case management.
  • ERS Wellness Page – The Group Benefits Program administered through the Employee's Retirement System of Texas (state employees only) offers a full menu of scientifically based health and wellness programs for state employees and their families.
  • Community First – Community First Health Plans provide affordable health coverage for families, children, expectant mothers, and children with special needs in Bexar county.

Health Risk Assessments and Incentives

  • Baylor Scott & White Health Risk Assessment – See what a typical HRA includes and how you can use the results.
  • The Center for Disease Control and Prevention's Healthier Workplace Initiatives provides guidance on promoting wellness programs and implementing a Health Risk Assessment initiative.
  • To encourage Texas state employees to be aware of and reduce their health risks, Chapter 664, Health and Safety Code authorizes state agencies to provide eight hours of leave incentive to employees who complete an online health risk assessment and receive an annual comprehensive physical exam.

Reduce Barriers to Completing Preventive Health Screenings

  • Investing in Health: Proven health promotion practices for workplaces was created by the Partnership for Prevention to provide employers with guidance that can improve employee health by controlling tobacco use, promoting cancer screening and early detection, and encouraging physical activity and healthy eating. Below are some guidelines.
    • Apply tobacco-free policies and cessation benefits and resources
    • Increase cancer screening rates
    • Increase physical activity through social support and the workplace environment
    • Improve nutrition through social support and the workplace environment

Investing in Health translates evidence-based recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and the Task Force on Community Preventive Services into easy-to-follow action steps that will enhance wellness in private or public sector worksites.

Cost effective preventive screenings and services at the worksite

  • The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has a quick hands-on tool that allows you to view preventive service recommendations that are offered in primary care settings, through referrals, or behavior counseling programs. Use their Prevention Taskforce tool to learn more about preventive screening recommendations, risk factors, and frequency of service.
  • Blue Cross Blue Shield Texas provides guidance on how to make preventive care a priority through their adult wellness guideline, which includes recommendations for the frequency of preventive screenings and vaccines and preventive health care services specific to women and men.
  • The National Commission on Prevention Priorities operates through HealthPartners Institute and uses evidence-based methods to measure the value of preventive services that protect and improve health. The Commission helps decision-makers choose preventive services that maximize the impact of their investments.
  • A Purchaser's Guide to Clinical Preventive Services: A Tool to Improve Health Care Coverage for Prevention. This guide includes the scientific evidence and benefits language that employers need to include thorough clinical preventive services in their medical benefit plans.
  • Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The Nation's lead Federal agency for research on health care quality, costs, outcomes, and patient safety.