UPMC Partners with Meal Delivery Service, Improves Health Outcomes

The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Health Plan partnered with a meal delivery service to improve patient outcomes, decrease healthcare costs, and reduce emergency department visits for Medicaid beneficiaries, according to a press release that HealthPayerIntelligence received by email.

UPMC Health Plan’s Medicaid program, UPMC for You, and Mom’s Meals launched a pilot program to provide home-delivered meals to 100 Medicaid beneficiaries. The members received three meals per day for 13 weeks between October 2019 and June 2020.

The individuals were members of UPMC for You’s UPMC Community Health Worker Impact Program or Community Team Program who had nutrition-sensitive chronic conditions such as heart disease or diabetes. More than half of the members also had a serious mental illness.

The participants saw significant improvements in health outcomes and healthcare costs. During the six months after the meal service was over, patients saw a 31 percent decrease in emergency department use and a 36 percent decrease in median total healthcare costs.

For comparison, a separate control group only saw a 17 percent decrease in ED use and an 18 percent reduction in healthcare costs, due to factors related to the pandemic.

“Emergency department use was one of the key outcomes we were interested in, as it is often a significant driver of the overall cost of care and a tremendous burden on members,” Katie Domalakes, senior director of clinical affairs and program development at UPMC Health Plan, stated in the press release.

Mom’s Meals aims to help individuals who are facing social determinants of health barriers, such as food insecurity. The program works with Medicaid, Medicare, and individual health plans to provide fully prepared meals to members of all ages.

The meal delivery service provides support for individuals receiving long-term care, post-discharge care, and chronic care. The program ensures that the meals are compatible with individuals’ specific health needs and any chronic conditions they might have.

During the pilot program, 74 percent of participants remained enrolled and received meals for all 13 weeks.

“Offering people healthy meals on a consistent basis is a cost-effective way to prevent a higher cost of care,” Catherine Macpherson, senior vice president of healthcare strategy and chief nutrition officer of Mom’s Meals, stated in the press release. “It also leads to better clinical outcomes and healthier patients, especially those with complex medical issues and food insecurity.”

If UPMC Health Plan and Mom’s Meals decide to expand the program, the organizations will measure primary care visits, lab values, and pharmacy costs during the period after the meal deliveries end to see if food security had any further impacts. Due to COVID-19, they could not accurately monitor these factors, the press release noted.

The pilot program builds on UPMC Health Plan’s ongoing efforts to improve member outcomes and address social determinants of health barriers.

For example, the payer implemented the Cultivating Health for Success program in which a partnership with a local housing and urban development vendor helped coordinate a team-based approach that integrated permanent housing and intensive case management for individuals experiencing homelessness.

More than 10 percent of US households faced food insecurity in 2020. Stable access to affordable and nutritious food can oftentimes make a significant difference in an individual’s overall health.

Payers like UPMC Health Plan that partner with food delivery services or food banks have the potential to improve health outcomes and reduce healthcare spending for their members.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina partnered with several food banks to promote enrollment in Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Members received a monthly benefit stipend from a food purchasing program, which they could use to buy fresh, frozen, or canned fruit and vegetables.

The payer also offered Medicare Advantage beneficiaries a personalized post-discharge meal program after acute hospital stays.