- Health A to Z

www.healthatoz.com

The consumer version of Health A to Z provides many fill-in-the-blank tools to assess and improve your health. Foremost among them is an online database to keep track of your Personal Health Record, including medications, doctor’s appointments, lab tests, vision care and dental treatment, your family’s medical history, allergies and your health insurance data. The site will even send you email reminders of your upcoming healthcare appointments.

Although intended for members of specific health plans, anyone can register on this site and have free access to its services and information. The main HealthAtoZ website, (www.healthatoz.com), is an advertisement describing programs for employers, insurers, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies. On that site you’ll find a link to the “Consumer Health Site,” which is described here.

The consumer site emphasizes preventive medicine, including fitness, weight control, regular doctor and dentist visits, nutrition, safety (wearing bike helmets, installing smoke detectors), smoking cessation, pregnancy and well baby care.

The “Health Dashboard” includes a link to the University of Michigan’s Health Risk Assessment (HRA) survey tool. To use the HRA, you enter your lab test results (cholesterol levels, blood pressure, vaccination history) along with other details of your health history. You’ll receive a report and an overall wellness score. The site encourages you to take the HRA again in six months, to see if you have improved your score.

Also on the Dashboard, you can choose among a few dozen “Health Interests” and be directed to articles and assessment tools related to things like fitness and smoking cessation. If you’ve entered data in your Personal Health Record, the page will also show your body mass index (BMI), your target heart rates (THR), and your recommended check-ups. Alternatively you can use a drop-down menu or a keyword search to find information.

The site also includes news articles, an encyclopedia, an expert’s question and answer section, message boards (women’s health, eating disorders and healthy weight) and even a link for sending electronic greeting cards.

Founded in 1995, HealthAtoZ is owned by Medical Network, Inc., Monmouth Junction, New Jersey, and appears supported by the employers, insurers and others whose members are the primary users of the site.

Last modified: 20 Sep 2006.