The Food is Medicine Coalition (FIMC) released the first-ever Medically Tailored Meal (MTM) Intervention standard for the field: the FIMC Medically Tailored Meal Intervention Accreditation Criteria and Requirements (ACR). Food & Friends in Washington, DC is the first MTM agency to earn FIMC Accreditation.
The ACR is a highly anticipated standard for agencies delivering the MTM intervention and comes at a meaningful moment in the food is medicine movement when the need to qualify and quantify the intervention is critical as it makes its way into healthcare provision.
FIMC is the national coalition of nonprofit organizations that provide MTMs, medically tailored groceries (MTGs), medical nutrition therapy, nutrition counseling and education to people in communities across the country living with severe, complex and chronic illnesses. FIMC advances equitable access to these life-saving interventions through policy change, research and evaluation, and best practices. FIMC agencies created the MTM Intervention nearly 40 years ago, and through decades of service have perfected the science of layering diets for maximum nutrition effect that receives so much attention today.
“Research – largely conducted on FIMC agencies – demonstrates the enormous benefits of the medically tailored meal intervention across a range of health conditions for improving health and quality of life, while also curbing healthcare costs,” said Alissa Wassung, Executive Director of FIMC. “As leaders in the food is medicine movement, it is FIMC’s responsibility to ensure fidelity to the high quality MTM intervention, so we can realize the promise of this clinical intervention, for our clients and our nation.”
FIMC seeks to ensure a future where anyone who needs the MTM intervention has access to the highest quality service regardless of their ability to pay or where they live. FIMC Accreditation provides verified credibility for an organization’s operations and the MTM intervention the agency provides. It signals to the community, policy makers, healthcare partners, and most importantly – clients – a level of service that can be trusted.
“The FIMC MTM Intervention Accreditation Criteria and Requirements synthesizes decades of quality service provision into a standard for the field that not only defines the MTM intervention fully, but also verifies commitment to the proven model,” said Karen Pearl, Chair, FIMC Advisory Board. “This standard is central to scaling equitable access to this lifesaving intervention across the country.”
The standard was created by FIMC through a co-design process, involving partner agency staff, with combined decades of experience in MTM service provision, and SCS Standards, leaders in the field of standard development. The rigorous process resulted in standards that ensure all FIMC-Accredited MTM agencies provide the same level of service. Regardless of location, size, or number of clients, all FIMC-Accredited agencies prepare and provide a high quality medically tailored meal intervention that meets the needs of clients living with severe, chronic or complex illness(es). While the standard is rigorous, it is also flexible enough to encourage culturally relevant services that meet the nutrition needs of diverse populations.
The standard has been built into an Accreditation Program and Food & Friends in Washington, DC is the first medically tailored meal agency to proceed through the process.
“We are thrilled to be the first agency to earn FIMC Accreditation, which we believe underscores our commitment to quality MTM provision,” said Carrie Stoltzfus, Executive Director of Food & Friends in Washington, DC. “FIMC Accreditation provides confirmation of our excellence in the provision MTM intervention we provide to thousands of clients every day.”
Through FIMC’s Accelerator program, we equip nonprofits to launch new medically tailored meal programs in areas not currently served. In FIMC’s Membership Program, FIMC supports a community of existing practictioners in delivering responsive medically tailored nutrition services. FIMC builds capacity though a variety of technical assistance programs and internal working committees. Members unite in national advocacy to expand access to the MTM intervention and promote research and best practices. FIMC Membership helps MTM agencies achieve FIMC Accreditation
Agencies in the field delivering medically tailored meals are welcome to apply for FIMC Membership immediately and join our community of practice and the queue for Accreditation. The Accreditation process takes approximately six-months, including an on-site audit, and will be offered on a rolling basis, first to established MTM Agencies on the FIMC Advisory Board, then to agencies that have graduated from the FIMC Accelerator Program, and then to agencies in the field.
We are grateful to these generous funders for supporting the development of the FIMC MTM Accreditation Criteria and Requirements: The Dohmen Company Foundation, CVS Health Foundation and Fresenius Medical Care.
Click for more details about the FIMC Accreditation Program.