Do food delivery programs reduce the use of costly health services and decrease medical spending in a population of patients dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid?
Researchers in Massachusetts wanted to determine whether home meal delivery of either medically tailored food or nontailored food reduces the use of selected health care services and medical spending in a sample of adult “dual eligibles.”
“Compared with matched nonparticipants, participants had fewer emergency department visits in both the medically tailored meal program and the nontailored food program,” the investigators found. “Participants in the medically tailored meal program also had fewer inpatient admissions and lower medical spending. Participation in the nontailored food program was not associated with fewer inpatient admissions but was associated with lower medical spending.”
Reference
Berkowitz SA et al. Meal delivery programs reduce the use of costly health care in dually eligible Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries. Health Aff (Millwood). 2018 Apr;37(4):535-42.
