Association Between Receipt of a Medically Tailored Meal Program and Health Care Use

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Public Health Nutrition
• Health Economics

Background:

• Improving food access is a potential strategy to reduce healthcare utilization, but evidence is limited.
• Medically tailored meal (MTM) interventions aim to address specific nutritional needs of individuals with chronic conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if participation in an MTM intervention is associated with reduced hospitalizations.
• To evaluate the impact of MTMs on skilled nursing facility admissions and healthcare costs.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective cohort study utilized the Massachusetts All-Payer Claims database linked with MTM program data.
• Near/far matching instrumental variable analysis was employed to compare MTM recipients with matched nonrecipients.
• Demographic, clinical, and neighborhood characteristics were used for matching, with at least 360 days of preintervention claims data.

Main Results:

• MTM recipients (n=499) were matched to nonrecipients (n=521). MTM recipients had higher preintervention healthcare use, costs, and comorbidities (e.g., HIV, cancer, diabetes).
• MTM receipt was associated with significantly fewer inpatient admissions (IRR, 0.51) and skilled nursing facility admissions (IRR, 0.28).
• Estimated mean monthly costs were lower for MTM recipients, suggesting potential healthcare savings.

Conclusions:

• Participation in MTM programs is linked to decreased hospital and skilled nursing facility admissions.
• MTM interventions may lead to reduced overall medical spending.
• These findings highlight the potential of MTMs as a valuable healthcare resource.