Americans across the nation are contending with widening disparities due to poor diets, , rising healthcare costs, and growing chronic disease burdens which are the leading cause of death in the United States, accounting for – along with mental health conditions – approximately 90% of our $4.5 trillion in annual healthcare expenditures. Food is Medicine (FIM) interventions have emerged as a sensible, evidenced-based, and equity-driven solution to address the nation’s most pressing healthcare concerns. FIM interventions are integrated nutrition treatments to help prevent and treat severe, complex and diet-related chronic conditions, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. These interventions include a spectrum of nutrition services such as medically tailored meals (MTMs), medically tailored groceries (MTGs), and produce prescriptions that are tailored to a patient’s condition and acuity through the services of a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN).
FIM interventions grew as grassroots, community programs. Now, the field has matured and is embedding these efforts into healthcare provision. Our challenge is to preserve the quality, cultural competency and efficacy of these interventions during this transition, while guaranteeing widespread access to their positive impact on health outcomes.
In the article published today on Health Affairs Forefront, alongside our colleagues at the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation at Harvard Law School, we argue that quality standardization is a logical next step for FIM integration. Read the article here.