The American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) has announced the integration of a standardized set of lifestyle assessment tools into Epic, a widely used electronic health records (EHR) platform in U.S. acute and ambulatory care. The tools, designed to evaluate key lifestyle factors affecting chronic disease, are available beginning in May to all users operating the latest version of Epic’s software.
The suite includes ACLM’s short-form lifestyle assessment, a clinical survey for gauging patient behaviors and readiness to change; a diet screener to collect brief nutritional profiles; the Physical Activity Vital Sign (PAVS) tool endorsed by the Physical Activity Alliance; and additional instruments designed to identify opportunities for lifestyle-related clinical interventions.
This development is intended to support broader integration of lifestyle medicine into routine clinical workflows. By embedding structured assessments directly into the EHR, clinicians gain the ability to initiate evidence-based discussions around lifestyle behavior, monitor patient progress, and incorporate these insights into comprehensive care planning.
The integration is framed as a foundational step toward addressing the role of lifestyle behavior in both prevention and treatment of chronic disease, which contributes to an estimated 80% of chronic conditions and 90% of U.S. healthcare spending. Clinical guidelines for a wide range of chronic conditions—including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, and cognitive decline—consistently cite lifestyle change as a primary intervention, yet application remains limited due to systemic, educational, and reimbursement barriers.
Standardized assessments within EHRs aim to help mitigate these challenges by enabling structured documentation, supporting population health surveillance, and facilitating research into the clinical impact of lifestyle behavior.
Healthcare institutions can work with their Epic system analysts to activate the assessment tools.
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