Real-World Outcomes of Telemedicine Shared Medical Appointments in Obesity Management

Shared Medical Appointments (SMAs) have recently emerged as a novel tool in weight management as they are efficient, bypass logistic barriers to physical attendance, decrease attrition, and are cost-effective. This study aimed to observe outcomes among patients enrolled in an insurance-based weight loss program, called Program for Reducing Obesity (PRO), utilizing telemedicine SMAs during a 12 month period of chronic weight management.

Patients of age ≥ 18 years with BMI ≥ 30 kg/m² were enrolled in the program, consisting of telemedicine SMAs with an obesity medicine board-certified physician and a registered dietitian. The primary outcome was the change in body weight at 6 and 12 months. Secondary outcomes were changes in glycated hemoglobin (HgbA1c) and triglyceride (TG) levels.

One hundred and nine patients, who had been enrolled in the program for about 18 months, were included in the study. The mean age was 62.40 ± 12.5 years. 73% were treated with obesity management medications. Patients attended an average of 10 classes through SMAs. 51% of patients had prediabetes, and 25% had Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (DM). The mean weight of patients at baseline was 97.54 ± 19 kg, with an average weight loss of 2.38 ± 4.78 kg (2.43%) and 4.47 ± 7.77 kg (4.55%) at 6 and 12 months (p < 0.001). The mean baseline HgbA1c and TG levels were 5.96 ± 0.8% and 137.43 ± 112.4 mg/dL, respectively. HgbA1c levels decreased by 0.11 ± 0.65 (2.19%) and 0.20 ± 0.50 (3.70%) at 6 and 12 months, and TG levels decreased by 25.19 ± 104.60 mg/dL (33.60%) at 6 months and 35.83 ± 112.08 mg/dL (41.14%) at 12 months (p < 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in weight loss between sexes, and regardless of the presence of DM, use of obesity management medications, or the number of classes attended.

This study showed that telemedicine SMAs are an effective and efficient method for promoting weight loss, even in the ongoing maintenance phase.