Classification of Functional Capacity and Objective Assessment is an in-patient screening criteria for cardiac disease, first published in 1928 by the New York Heart Association, is based on clinical severity and prognosis. Functional Capacity rates from Class I (patients with cardiac disease whose physical activity is not hampered) to Class IV (patients whose cardiac disease results in a marked limitation of physical activity). Objective Assessment refers to evidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and rates from A (no objective evidence of CVD) to D (objective evidence of severe CVD). The classification is updated periodically according to research. Assessment is the cornerstone of effective treatment. Health risk appraisals help doctors identify patients at high, medium and low risk for coronary heart disease and stroke and to prescribe the best methods of treatment.