Medically tailored meal (MTM) interventions are of rapidly growing interest to healthcare systems, payers, patients, and policy makers. MTMs are fully prepared, nutritionally customized, and generally home-delivered healthy meals for individuals living with ad…
Medically Tailored MealsCardiometabolic DiseaseUSPolicy Analysis and Advocacy
About this work
Medically tailored meal (MTM) interventions are of rapidly growing interest to healthcare systems, payers, patients, and policy makers. MTMs are fully prepared, nutritionally customized, and generally home-delivered healthy meals for individuals living with advanced and costly diet-sensitive conditions, such as diabetes, heart failure, end stage renal disease, HIV, and cancer. Several preliminary studies have suggested that MTM programs can reduce healthcare utilization (e.g., doctor and ER visits) and healthcare costs for high-risk patients.
However, impacts of MTMs on obesity, glucose control, and related health outcomes have not been thoroughly evaluated, particularly in relation to other intervention types. This collaborative initiative will assess the impacts of MTMs on obesity, diabetes control, blood pressure, healthcare utilization, and healthcare costs under an ongoing Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Medicaid pilot involving multiple hospitals in the state. Project Aims Aim One To estimate health impacts, costs, cost-effectiveness, and effects on disparities of specific health system strategies to improve diet and reduce cardiometabolic disease (CMD).
Evaluated strategies will include: MTMs, Healthy food prescriptions, Food insecurity screening and referral, and Integration of nutrition into medical training strategies Aim Two To estimate health impacts, costs, cost-effectiveness, and effects on disparities of specific state-level policies to improve diet and reduce C…
Why this matters
In Massachusetts Medicaid, medically tailored meals were associated with 31% fewer hospitalizations and per-person costs about $3,400 lower, and a national model projects $23.7 billion in first-year savings if meals reached all eligible adults. Trials like this build the evidence health systems and payers need.
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