American College of Lifestyle Medicine announces integration of first set of lifestyle behavior assessment tools into Epic electronic health records

The introduction of standardized measures for assessing lifestyle change opportunities in Epic, a national leader in electronic health records software, is a critical step toward the full integration of lifestyle medicine into clinical operations.

ST. LOUIS, May 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) and Epic, the market share leader for electronic health records (EHR) in acute and ambulatory care settings, have announced the integration of the first set of lifestyle medicine assessment tools into Epic EHR software. The lifestyle-related resources will become accessible in May to anyone using the most updated version of the Epic software.

The new tools include ACLM's lifestyle medicine short form assessment tool, a clinical survey to capture patient lifestyle behaviors and readiness for change; ACLM's Diet Screener, which helps clinicians quickly capture a picture of a patient's diet during routine medical appointments; the Physical Activity Vital Sign (PAVS) tool recommended by the Physical Activity Alliance for assessing physical activity in adults; as well as additional tools to capture lifestyle behaviors and opportunities for change.

"As a leader in lifestyle medicine and clinical informatics, I am thrilled to see the integration of lifestyle surveys into our EHR system," said Medical Director of the Lifestyle Medicine Clinic at ECU Health David Michael, MD, DipABLM. "This advancement will empower us to shift from reactive 'sick' care to proactive 'health' care, leveraging new data at the point of care. The combination of available data on lifestyle opportunities, the ability to measure them over time, and the emerging power of artificial intelligence will revolutionize team-based primary care. This focus will enable patients to recognize and make healthier choices, significantly reducing the burden of chronic diseases."

Lifestyle behaviors are the leading drivers of chronic disease nationally. An estimated 80% of chronic conditions are attributed to lifestyle factors along with 90% of healthcare spending. Chronic disease clinical practice guidelines for cardiovascular conditions, obesity, obstructive sleep apnea, diabetes, cancer, cognitive decline, polycystic ovarian syndrome and others cite lifestyle change as first-line treatment and effective preventive measures, as well as necessary adjunct to other forms of treatment. However, therapeutic and intensive therapeutic lifestyle interventions remain under-utilized due to factors such as educational gaps, misaligned payment and incentives, systemic barriers and time constraints.

Assessing for lifestyle change opportunities is the first step toward addressing their role in the treatment, remission and prevention of chronic disease. It is also one of the core competencies of lifestyle medicine. Assessment offers clinicians the opportunity to initiate meaningful conversations around lifestyle behavior, measure progress and recommend evidence-based lifestyle interventions as part of a care plan.

"It is so important that we can have standardized measures for assessment in EHRs to support clinicians, improve patient care and health outcomes, supplement our national surveillance systems and continue to research the importance of lifestyle behaviors for treating, reversing and preventing disease," said American Heart Association National Vice President of Policy Research and Translation and Senior Strategic Advisor to the Physical Activity Alliance Laurie Whitsel, PhD, FAHA.

Health care organizations can work with their Epic analyst to access the lifestyle assessment tools.

"Epic is proud to partner with the American College of Lifestyle Medicine to deliver high-quality tools, including collaboratively developed assessments," said EPIC MyChart Quality Manager Luke Eberhardy. "These resources will empower clinicians to better understand patients' status across key lifestyle pillars. This, in turn, will help create informed, personalized plans to maintain or improve overall health and well-being for many patients."

About ACLM®
The American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) is the nation's medical professional society advancing the field of lifestyle medicine as the foundation of a redesigned, value-based and equitable healthcare delivery system, essential to achieving the Quintuple Aim and whole-person health. ACLM represents, advocates for, trains, certifies, and equips its members to identify and eradicate the root cause of chronic disease by optimizing modifiable risk factors. ACLM is filling the gaping void of lifestyle medicine in medical education, providing more than 1.2 million hours of lifestyle medicine education to physicians and other health professionals, since 2004, while also advancing research, clinical practice and reimbursement strategies.

SOURCE American College of Lifestyle Medicine