Health Heritage: Cancer Family Health History Collection and Risk Assessment Tool

William A. Knaus, MD, FACP
Evelyn Troup Hobson Emeritus Professor,
University of Virginia School of Medicine
Fellow, American and Royal Australasian
College of Physicians
Member, U.S. National Academy of Medicine

Family health history is an important risk factor for many chronic conditions yet remains underutilized in the clinical setting. Health Heritage is a family health history collection and risk assessment tool that provides users with the electronic equivalent of a genetic counselor consultation for inherited cancers and soon, all major diseases. Health Heritage was designed to help patients to easily collect, maintain, and share their detailed personal and family health histories with their health care providers. Health Heritage can import data directly from patients’ medical records to populate family health history information, allows patients to share data with selected relatives, and assess risk for certain conditions based on current guidelines, providing personalized recommendations based on that risk. Health Heritage currently focuses on seven cancers: breast, colorectal, melanoma, ovarian, pancreatic, prostate, and uterine (endometrial). Learn more about public health opportunities to use Health Heritage to collect family health history and assess risk for cancer and other chronic conditions.

Dr. Knaus is an internationally recognized clinician scientist who pioneered the development and use of algorithmic classification in clinical medicine through development and worldwide dissemination of the APACHE severity of illness system. He is currently developing universally useful and readily applied solutions to the challenge of health care data interoperability with Health Heritage, an automated Family Medical History application.