Insights + Perspectives
A new white paper published in MDI Healthcare reviews and analyzes the evidence of medically tailored meals (MTMs) as a food as medicine intervention and provides insights on actions that can be taken as part of federal policy to create positive change.
Medically Tailored Meals: A Case for Federal Policy Action
The white paper synthesizes a broad body of research showing how nutrition interventions can strengthen care for individuals with complex health needs. It highlights the outsized role that diet-related diseases play in the nation’s $4.5 trillion in annual health care spending and points to MTMs as one of the most well-studied approaches within the food as medicine landscape. Despite this depth of evidence, access remains inconsistent, creating gaps for individuals who could benefit from additional nutrition support.
“We talk a lot about food as medicine, but this white paper shows how medically tailored meals really makes this concept a reality,” said lead author Catherine Macpherson, MS, RDN, Senior Vice President and Chief Nutrition Officer at Mom’s Meals®. “Health care rarely offers an intervention that improves clinical outcomes and reduces costs at the same time. As health care costs continue to climb, expanding access to a solution that does both should be a priority.”
Discover insights on rising costs, growing need and a clear opportunity for food as medicine
The findings outline an opportunity to integrate MTMs more consistently into care delivery. Doing so can help care teams support individuals living with chronic and nutrition-sensitive conditions, improve nutrition security for medically vulnerable populations, reduce preventable utilization and contribute to more sustainable health care spending.
Receive a comprehensive overview of the clinical, economic, and policy implications of MTMs including:
- Clinical, observational and health policy modeling evidence for MTMs
- Barriers to MTM access
- Policy solutions with food as medicine benefit models to leverage the clinical and cost advantages of MTMs
Mom’s Meals food as medicine solutions
Making nutritious foods more accessible and helping educate individuals about healthier choices is especially important for patients with chronic illnesses.
Mom’s Meals provides the most comprehensive food as medicine solutions nationwide. We provide nutrition solutions designed for all ages to bring comfort and inspire confidence in people seeking to live healthier, manage chronic conditions, recover from illness or continue to live independently. Our integrated solutions include medically tailored meals, produce and pantry boxes, oral nutrition supplements, shelf-stable, kosher and halal meals, and nutrition counseling and education.
We’re setting the standard in the food as medicine space with real-world results that show fewer hospitalizations, better A1C control, stronger medication adherence and meaningful reductions in the total cost of care. From caregivers and case managers to payers and state and federal agencies, we’re the provider trusted to deliver scalable, evidence-based interventions for Medicaid, Medicare, long-term care and self-pay populations.
Learn more about Mom's Meals food as medicine solutions.
