10 Questions to Assess Population Health Needs

Population health management is an essential goal of a successful onsite health center and wellness program. To have a thriving, effective onsite health and wellness initiative, it must meet the needs of the employees that it serves. Therefore, any organization that is considering implementing an onsite health center should first conduct a population health needs assessment.

This includes measuring unmet health needs and health risk behaviors of employees. Employees will be asked to complete a health assessment questionnaire and a biometric screening. Medical claims data for the employee population will also be analyzed to see where there are gaps in the care they are receiving.

A population health needs assessment can be a significant undertaking. It involves a large amount of data and a complex data analysis process. For HR managers not prepared to take this task on, it’s a smart idea to partner with an onsite health and wellness solution provider like Marathon Health. Such organizations have the experience and expertise to ensure that your health needs assessment is a success.

However, HR managers should have a basic understanding of the assessment process and which questions are important to ask to gain an accurate understanding of the total population health needs.

Here are the top 10 population health questions to ask:

1. What is the current health status?

Are most employees generally healthy, or does the population overall struggle with obesity or other chronic conditions like diabetes? As the most important population health questions to ask, this one can help determine which issues to address first for greatest initial impact, as well as informing long-term planning and analysis.

2. What are current health behaviors?

It is well known that health behaviors, such as eating habits and tobacco use, are an important predictor of overall health and utilization of health services. Organizations can consider offering wellness coaching or smoking cessation services if these unhealthy behaviors are determined to be a significant issue among employees.

3. What is being done for preventive health?

Are most employees attending annual physician visits and preventive health screenings? Offering these services at an onsite health center can be a great way to encourage employees to participate in preventive health.

4. What is the current healthcare utilization?

How often are employees visiting the doctor, filling prescriptions, or using other healthcare services? Are people using timely ambulatory care, or do they make unnecessary urgent care and emergency room visits? The answers to these questions can help to predict both the utilization and potential value of onsite health center services.

5. What are the demographics?

Are your employees mostly baby boomers nearing retirement age? Or millennials with young children at home? Having a clear idea of the demographics at your organization can help in determining the most appropriate generational wellness services to offer.

6. What are the current eating habits?

How well are most employees eating? HR managers can consider an organization-wide nutrition wellness challenge or offering onsite nutrition coaching if employee eating habits seem to be a concern.

7. What is the current alcohol/tobacco usage?

Excessive alcohol or tobacco use can lead to a range of adverse health consequences. Consider offering health coaching, substance abuse education or smoking cessation classes if you identify a need among employees.

8. What is the current level of physical activity?

Physical activity is an important component of overall health, but many workers do not get enough exercise. Consider offering gym membership discounts, fitness challenges or other incentives for employees to get moving.

9. What are overall stress/anxiety Levels?

Stress is a major contributor to many physical and mental conditions, particularly in workplaces with a low work-life balance. Employers may want to offer onsite counseling or stress management classes if employees report a high level of stress.

10. What is the overall sentiment towards health and wellness?

People who have a favorable outlook on wellness tend to be healthier overall and more likely to avoid unhealthy behaviors. Effective health and wellness programs can be a great way to put a positive spin on health for your employees.

Summary

A successful onsite health center and wellness program starts with a comprehensive population health needs assessment to ensure services align with employee needs. This process involves asking the right population health questions, gathering data through health risk assessments, biometric screenings, and medical claims analysis to identify unmet needs, chronic conditions, health behaviors, preventive care gaps, and utilization patterns.

Employers must also evaluate demographics, lifestyle factors such as nutrition, physical activity, alcohol and tobacco use, stress levels, and overall sentiment toward wellness. While the assessment can be complex, partnering with an experienced onsite health provider can help organizations translate data into targeted, high-impact wellness strategies that improve employee health outcomes and long-term program success.