The Food Is Medicine Coalition and the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation have embarked on a new project generously supported by the Dohmen Company Foundation: The Medically Tailored Meal (MTM) Sustainability Blueprint. The goal of the Blueprint is to answer fundamental legal and regulatory questions for Food Is Medicine services, starting with medically tailored meals (MTM), regarding how these nutrition supports fit within critical legal frameworks governing the coverage and quality of Medicaid benefits. In doing so, the project aims to create a foundation for program design and implementation that can remain consistent as we chart a course to coverage over time.
Why the Blueprint is Needed
Stakeholders have faced roadblocks in successfully transitioning FIM interventions from pilot- and grant-funded programs to health care reimbursement structures. This has led to wide variation in service and provider quality across and within jurisdictions and systems. Lack of standardization across the varied grant programs, and lack of clarity regarding the standards in health care systems has also led to inefficiencies as stakeholders must repeatedly invest time and funds to develop answers to common questions (e.g., target populations, nutrition standards, screening and assessment, appropriate providers, etc.) across different partnerships, threatening sustainability and potentially setting up competing delivery systems that do not fit into the foundational structure of health care.
Health care delivery and financing is heavily regulated, and existing law, regulation, and guidance establish quality standards to which all health care services and providers are subject. The result of this project will be a clear, concise, cited blueprint for how best to incorporate this service into existing healthcare structures, as an example for the rest of the field. The audience for this work is varied, from state policy makers to FIM practitioners, to plans and providers. An ultimate goal of the Blueprint is to create a framework that other Food is Medicine interventions can use to outline a similar pathway for sustainable success, and to build out the same for MTM in other insurance/funding vehicles.
We believe that by outlining these standards from the outset, FIM providers, regardless of funding source, can operate under more uniform and efficacious standards across programs and jurisdictions, with the goal of using resources efficiently should these providers choose to pursue sustainable health care funding and coverage in the long term.
What’s Next?
The project is currently in the drafting phase, leveraging the expertise of a cross-sector Advisory Group made up of subject matter experts including food is medicine (FIM) practitioners (community-based and commercial), healthcare payers and providers, researchers, coding and terminology experts, actuaries, consumer advocacy groups and others. In the fall, the Blueprint will go through a public comment period, where the broader field can offer input before finalization. We hope you will join this project and contribute your expertise during the public comment period.
We will continue to provide updates through the FIMC newsletter and on our website as the project moves forward.