What is a Biometric Screening

June 22, 2020
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Overview

A biometric screening is a clinical screening performed for employees at a company’s workplace or a commercial lab facility. It’s used to identify and monitor certain health conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. Employers may request biometric screenings to provide a baseline assessment on the overall health of their workforce, and monitor emerging health conditions that may lead to more serious health concerns.Many companies are looking for innovative ways to increase benefit offerings, improve employee health, and decrease health plan costs at the same time. One solution gaining popularity among US employers is biometric screenings.A typical biometric screening will be conducted by a nurse or phlebotomist and should always include a fasting intravenous blood draw. Some screening providers try and sell the finger-stick method for cost and convenience reasons, but studies show that the results are often inconsistent and unreliable.

Benefits

If you're serious about results, health care professionals will always recommend the intravenous method.The blood work, along with a brief questionnaire regarding behavior and family history help to provide an accurate assessment on the current health status and risk of the individuals being screened.75% of health care costs are attributed to chronic conditions that are preventable. Heart disease, for example, can be prevented with proper diet and exercise. In addition, early identification of certain risk factors, such as high cholesterol or blood pressure, can prevent larger problems down the road.This is where biometric screenings are most beneficial. A regular assessment of an individual's health can provide valuable insight on current and potential medical issues, their risk for chronic preventable diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension, and can identify strategies for improved health and well-being.Research shows that biometric health screenings can reduce health plan costs by identifying risk factors and at-risk people that need medical attention.

What is calculated during a biometric screening?

A biometric health screening is defined as "the measurement of physical characteristics such as height, weight, body mass index, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, blood glucose, and aerobic fitness tests that can be taken at the work site and used as part of a workplace health assessment to benchmark and evaluate changes in employee health status over time. Biometric screenings can tell your employees a lot about themselves and their health, including clinically obese,risk for cardiovascular disease,risk of sleep apnea or they have the risk of diabetes.Use Tuhealthy App to locate "biometrics screening near me".