Elevance Health’s Whole Health Index Demonstrates Opportunity to Improve Health
Elevance Health (NYSE: ELV) has introduced the Whole Health Index (WHI), a groundbreaking tool for assessing individual and community health. Developed by Elevance Health's physicians, data scientists, and researchers, the WHI uses a 0-100 scale to evaluate health over time, considering physical, behavioral, and social factors.
The WHI incorporates over 90 data points across various health categories, including food insecurity, transportation accessibility, housing instability, preventative dental exams, immunizations, and mental health treatment. Elevance Health has begun providing access to WHI data for employer health plan members in Missouri and Virginia, with information available at the county level and always de-identified.
Elevance Health (NYSE: ELV) ha introdotto il Whole Health Index (WHI), uno strumento innovativo per valutare la salute individuale e comunitaria. Sviluppato dai medici, scienziati dei dati e ricercatori di Elevance Health, il WHI utilizza una scala da 0 a 100 per valutare la salute nel tempo, considerando fattori fisici, comportamentali e sociali.
Il WHI incorpora oltre 90 punti dati in diverse categorie di salute, tra cui insicurezza alimentare, accessibilità ai trasporti, instabilità abitativa, esami dentali preventivi, vaccinazioni e trattamento della salute mentale. Elevance Health ha iniziato a fornire accesso ai dati WHI per i membri dei piani sanitari dei datori di lavoro nel Missouri e in Virginia, con informazioni disponibili a livello di contea e sempre de-identificate.
Elevance Health (NYSE: ELV) ha introducido el Whole Health Index (WHI), una herramienta innovadora para evaluar la salud individual y comunitaria. Desarrollado por los médicos, científicos de datos e investigadores de Elevance Health, el WHI utiliza una escala de 0 a 100 para evaluar la salud a lo largo del tiempo, considerando factores físicos, conductuales y sociales.
El WHI incorpora más de 90 puntos de datos en varias categorías de salud, incluyendo inseguridad alimentaria, accesibilidad al transporte, inestabilidad de vivienda, exámenes dentales preventivos, inmunizaciones y tratamiento de salud mental. Elevance Health ha comenzado a proporcionar acceso a los datos del WHI para los miembros de los planes de salud de los empleadores en Misuri y Virginia, con información disponible a nivel de condado y siempre desidentificada.
Elevance Health (NYSE: ELV)는 개인 및 지역사회의 건강을 평가하기 위한 획기적인 도구인 Whole Health Index (WHI)를 도입했습니다. Elevance Health의 의사, 데이터 과학자 및 연구자들에 의해 개발된 WHI는 0-100 척도를 사용하여 시간이 지남에 따라 건강을 평가하며, 신체적, 행동적 및 사회적 요인을 고려합니다.
WHI는 식량 불안, 교통 접근성, 주택 불안정성, 예방 치과 검사, 예방 접종 및 정신 건강 치료를 포함한 다양한 건강 범주에서 90개 이상의 데이터 포인트를 통합합니다. Elevance Health는 미주리 및 버지니아의 고용주 건강 보험 가입자에게 WHI 데이터에 대한 접근을 제공하기 시작했으며, 카운티 수준에서 직접 정보에 액세스할 수 있으며 항상 비식별화됩니다.
Elevance Health (NYSE: ELV) a introduit le Whole Health Index (WHI), un outil révolutionnaire pour évaluer la santé individuelle et communautaire. Développé par les médecins, les scientifiques des données et les chercheurs d'Elevance Health, le WHI utilise une échelle de 0 à 100 pour évaluer la santé au fil du temps, en tenant compte des facteurs physiques, comportementaux et sociaux.
Le WHI intègre plus de 90 points de données dans diverses catégories de santé, y compris l'insécurité alimentaire, l'accessibilité aux transports, l'instabilité du logement, les examens dentaires préventifs, les vaccinations et le traitement de la santé mentale. Elevance Health a commencé à fournir l'accès aux données WHI pour les membres des plans de santé des employeurs dans le Missouri et la Virginie, avec des informations disponibles au niveau du comté et toujours dépersonnalisées.
Elevance Health (NYSE: ELV) hat den Whole Health Index (WHI) eingeführt, ein bahnbrechendes Werkzeug zur Bewertung der individuellen und gemeinschaftlichen Gesundheit. Der WHI wurde von den Ärzten, Datenwissenschaftlern und Forschern von Elevance Health entwickelt und verwendet eine Skala von 0 bis 100, um die Gesundheit im Laufe der Zeit zu bewerten, wobei physische, verhaltensbedingte und soziale Faktoren berücksichtigt werden.
Der WHI umfasst über 90 Datenpunkte in verschiedenen Gesundheitskategorien, einschließlich Lebensmittelunsicherheit, Zugänglichkeit von Transportmitteln, Wohninstabilität, präventiven zahnärztlichen Untersuchungen, Impfungen und Behandlungen der psychischen Gesundheit. Elevance Health hat begonnen, Mitgliedern von Arbeitgebergesundheitsplänen in Missouri und Virginia Zugriff auf WHI-Daten zu gewähren, wobei Informationen auf Kreisebene verfügbar sind und immer anonymisiert sind.
- Introduction of the Whole Health Index (WHI), a comprehensive health assessment tool
- WHI incorporates over 90 data points across physical, behavioral, and social health categories
- Initial rollout of WHI data access for employer health plan members in Missouri and Virginia
- None.
Insights
The introduction of Elevance Health's Whole Health Index (WHI) represents a significant advancement in holistic health measurement. By incorporating over 90 data points across physical, behavioral and social health domains, the WHI offers a more comprehensive view of health than traditional metrics. This approach aligns with the growing recognition of social determinants of health in policy-making and healthcare delivery.
The WHI's 0-100 scale provides an easily interpretable measure for both individuals and communities, potentially enabling more targeted interventions and resource allocation. However, the real impact will depend on how effectively this data is utilized in practice. The initial rollout in Missouri and Virginia will be important in demonstrating the WHI's practical applications and potential for scaling.
While innovative, the WHI's success will hinge on its adoption by healthcare providers, policymakers and community organizations. If widely embraced, it could drive more personalized care approaches and inform community health initiatives, potentially leading to improved health outcomes and reduced healthcare costs in the long term.
The Whole Health Index (WHI) represents a sophisticated application of data science in healthcare. By aggregating and analyzing over 90 diverse data points, the WHI demonstrates the power of big data in creating a holistic health measure. This approach could potentially uncover correlations and insights that might be missed by more narrowly focused health metrics.
However, the complexity of the WHI raises important questions about data quality, standardization and potential biases. Ensuring consistent data collection across diverse sources and maintaining data privacy, especially for sensitive social and behavioral health information, will be important challenges. The de-identification process at the county level is a positive step for privacy, but it may limit the granularity of insights.
The real test of the WHI will be in its predictive power and actionability. If it can effectively predict health outcomes and guide interventions better than existing models, it could become a valuable tool for healthcare planning and policy-making. Rigorous validation studies and peer review will be essential to establish its credibility and utility in the healthcare community.
Elevance Health's Whole Health Index (WHI) represents a promising step towards addressing health equity. By incorporating social determinants of health such as food insecurity, transportation accessibility and housing instability alongside traditional health metrics, the WHI acknowledges the complex factors that contribute to health disparities.
The county-level data accessibility could be particularly valuable for identifying and addressing community-specific health challenges. This granular approach may enable more targeted interventions and resource allocation, potentially improving health outcomes in underserved areas. However, it's important to ensure that the data collection and analysis methods don't inadvertently perpetuate existing biases or overlook marginalized populations.
The true test of the WHI's impact on health equity will be in its implementation and the actions it informs. Will it lead to meaningful changes in healthcare delivery, community programs and policy decisions that actually reduce health disparities? Moreover, as this tool is developed by a private company, there needs to be transparency and accountability in how the data is used and shared to ensure it serves the public good rather than just corporate interests.
Whole Health Index is an industry-leading calculation for defining and measuring the most powerful drivers of individual and community health
Here are a few examples that illustrate how Elevance Health-affiliated plans can use community-level Whole Health Index data to help the individual members the health plans serve. The images provided are illustrative only, not depicting real individuals. (Graphic: Elevance Health)
“Understanding a person’s overall health enables tailored solutions that drive positive health outcomes,” said Shantanu Agrawal, MD, Elevance Health Chief Health Officer. “We created the Whole Health Index to help assess health holistically, looking at its most powerful drivers. By establishing a credible measurement of individual and community health, we can inform programs and services that advance greater health and health equity.”
The WHI uses more than 90 data points that fall into broad categories of physical, behavioral, and social health. These data points range from food insecurity, transportation accessibility, and housing instability to preventative dental exams, immunizations, and treatment for mental health outcomes. Learn more about the WHI methodology.
Elevance Health recently provided access to WHI data from a subset of employer health plan members starting with two states,
About Elevance Health, Inc.
Elevance Health is a lifetime, trusted health partner whose purpose is to improve the health of humanity. The company supports consumers, families, and communities across the entire healthcare journey – connecting them to the care, support, and resources they need to lead better lives. Elevance Health’s companies serve over 113 million consumers through a diverse portfolio of industry-leading medical, pharmacy, behavioral, clinical, and complex care solutions. For more information, please visit www.elevancehealth.com or follow us @ElevanceHealth on X and Elevance Health on LinkedIn.
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Media Contact:
Kate Marx
Kate.Marx@elevancehealth.com
Investor Relations:
Stephen Tanal
Stephen.Tanal@elevancehealth.com
Source: Elevance Health, Inc.
FAQ
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