Until now, the healthcare industry has been limited to measurements for physical health -- such as blood tests that measure the chemical balances in our bodies or breathing tests that measure lung capacity -- and in recent years, behavioral health. What has been missing is a measure of the social factors that contribute to our health and the health of our communities. This is why Elevance Health developed the Whole Health Index.
What is the Whole Health Index?
The Whole Health Index (WHI) gives us the ability to measure whole health. Created by Elevance Health physicians, data scientists, and researchers, it is a first-of-its kind assessment of individual health. Using a scale of 0 to 100, the WHI can evaluate a person or group’s relative health over time and assess the physical, behavioral, and social factors that influence it.
How the WHI is Calculated
The WHI uses more than 90 data points that fall into the broad categories of physical, behavioral, and social health. These data points range from food insecurity, transportation accessibility, and housing instability to preventive dental exams, immunizations, and treatment for mental health conditions.
Understanding a person’s overall health enables tailored solutions that drive positive health outcomes. 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.”
Elevance Health Chief Health Officer
Explore the WHI in These States
The WHI assessment shows how the various drivers of health — physical, behavioral, and social — are affecting a community. The WHI, mapped by county, reveals where larger-scale investments and solutions can have the most significant effect on the health of people living there. County-level index assessments are currently available for two states, Virginia and Missouri, with additional states to come.
How the WHI Can Be Used
The WHI can be used by all Elevance Health-affiliated health plans, as well as by external organizations who want to better understand overall population health. For external organizations, WHI data is accessible at the county level and always de-identified. Today, WHI data from a subset of commercial health plan membership is available externally for two states, Missouri and Virginia.
What Can Be Learned From the WHI In Partnership with Elevance Health
These examples provide a sample of what can be learned from the WHI when partnering with Elevance Health.
An employer health plan sponsor can examine employee trends against county data with the goal of providing additional benefits to meet the unique needs of employees in a geographic area. For example, an employer could find through the WHI that employees experience a transportation barrier, and the employer may offer additional benefits such as a stipend for a bus or train pass.
A state or local government can use the WHI to map higher levels of food insecurity and work with municipal planners to establish food assistance programs and introduce new grocery stores.
Elevance Health-affiliated plans can see that members who frequently use the emergency department may have more than just a medical or physical need that prompts their emergency department visit—they may also have a health-related social need. This allows us to address that social need, for example, helping them find affordable housing, so that they can then get the medical care they need. The chart below illustrates a few examples of unique health situations of individuals and some of the ways in which we may be able to help them.
How Elevance Health-Affiliated Plans Can Help Members by Using the WHI
Below are a few examples that illustrate how Elevance Health-affiliated plans can use community-level WHI data to help the individual members we serve.*
*The images provided are illustrative only, not depicting real individuals
Related Stories
Our Approach To Health
Our approach to health begins by redefining health, reimagining the system, and strengthening our communities. Improving health for everyone is possible.
Elevance Health Impact
Improving Healthcare Means Taking a Broader ViewWithout a place to call home and caught in a familiar and unwanted cycle of emergency room visits and hospitalizations, James Bastel didn’t eat regularly and wasn’t able to consistently take his medications. His health-related social needs also got in the way of his ability to establish a regular relationship with a doctor or clinic.
Elevance Health Impact
Taking Deliberate Steps to Advance Health EquityAdvancing health equity – when everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible – is not only a moral and social imperative at Elevance Health. It’s also a business imperative. It’s everyone’s business, and everyone’s job.