The Impact of Medically Tailored Meals Interventions on Hospital Utilization in Maryland

This study sought to understand the extent to which receiving medically tailored meal interventions affects participants' hospitalization costs and visits, focusing on high-cost clients.

The analyses explored pre- and post-enrollment data from 2,943 medically tailored meal clients who experienced inpatient hospital care in Maryland between 2021 and 2023. Unadjusted and adjusted difference-in-differences analyses examined whether changes in hospital charges and visits were different between high-cost clients and the rest of the sample. Differences in demographic characteristics were also explored.

On average, high-cost clients receiving medically tailored meal services experienced a 64% decrease in hospital charges from the pre- to post-enrollment period; the rest of the sample experienced an increase of 38%. High-cost clients saw an average reduction of 45% in hospital visits and a 47% reduction in Potentially Avoidable Utilization visits, whereas the rest of the sample saw a decrease of 11% in visits and no change in Potentially Avoidable Utilization visits.

This study reveals that those with high hospital costs enrolled in 1 of 2 medically tailored meal programs experienced significantly higher reductions in hospital charges, Potentially Avoidable Utilization, and visits than those with lower costs. Future research into the characteristics associated with higher levels of utilization and healthcare spending is warranted.