Foodsmart

You're screening for food insecurity. Now what? A growing majority of managed care states now include SDOH provisions in MCO contracts. Most plans are screening for food insecurity. Many are reporting on it. Very few have an answer for what happens next. The screening finds the need. But a screening without a referral destination is just documentation. The member still doesn't have food. The plan still carries the cost. Closing the loop means connecting that member to something that actually changes their situation — not a pamphlet, not a 211 referral, but a clinical intervention paired with food access. Here's what closing the loop looks like in practice, across Foodsmart's published research: -Among 44,000+ Medicaid members assessed for food insecurity, 43% of those who were food insecure at baseline improved their food security status within the first month — rising to 57% by 18 months.¹ -In a Kaiser Permanente randomized controlled trial of 450 low-income adults with Type 2 diabetes, the odds of becoming food secure increased by 230% and the odds of becoming nutrition secure increased by 370%, compared to the control group. The same study showed a significant 0.32-point average reduction in HbA1c.² -In a Foodsmart case study with Medicaid/Medicare community health plans, food-insecure members improved their diet quality by 2.8x more than the general enrolled population, with 50% achieving a 5%+ improvement in their nutrition score.³ And the cost impact follows: in a propensity-score matched claims study with a large urban Medicaid MCO, members receiving telenutrition plus medically tailored food benefits achieved $92 PMPM in net savings — more than double the $43 PMPM net savings observed for the broader enrolled population.⁴ Screening is the starting line. The value — for members and for plans — is in what happens after. ¹ Cook County Health–Foodsmart longitudinal analysis, 57,630 Medicaid members, April 2023–October 2025 ² AHA Scientific Sessions 2023 abstract; Kaiser Permanente / Tufts University RCT (n=450) ³ Foodsmart case study, Medicaid/Medicare community health plans ⁴ Foodsmart propensity-score matched claims study, large urban Medicaid MCO

Amber is why we do what we do at Foodsmart. She is an inspiration for what it means to take your health into your own hands and work towards a better life.

We’ve helped hundreds of people across New York this summer in partnership with Fidelis Care - New York. This is what member engagement looks like when it meets people where they already are — not just in an app, but at the block party, the community table, the events members actually show up to. #nutritionsupport #medicaid #community #nycfood

Every day, our members do the hard work of changing their health. We're honored to support them. Amber Marie Reyes is one of those members. On Banner's Medicaid plan in Arizona, she set out to change her life, and she has. Working one-on-one with a Foodsmart registered dietitian, Amber has lost more than 200 pounds, no longer needs oxygen, and has seen her chronic conditions improve in ways she calls life-changing. Stories like Amber's are why we do this work, and they never happen alone. We're proud of our partner, Banner Health, whose Medicaid program connected Amber to care and meets members where they are, including the rural communities too often left behind. We're proud of our registered dietitians, whose dedication turns nutrition science into personalized plans people can actually live by. And most of all, we're proud of members like Amber, who show up for themselves and their families with real courage. This is what foodcare looks like: personalized care, easy access to healthy food, and people who believe change is possible. In Amber's words: "If I can do it, you know you can do it." https://lnkd.in/e7R7PdiU

We appreciated hearing Mark Rakowski share how Chorus Community Health Plans approaches nutrition referrals on the Mission & Margin podcast. What resonated most wasn't just that Chorus values the trusted provider relationship, it's that they designed their program around it. By embedding Foodsmart referrals directly into the EHR, providers can identify eligible members during care and seamlessly connect them to nutrition counseling when it's most relevant. It's a simple idea with a powerful impact: make it easy for clinicians to recommend the support they know their patients need. Thank you to Mark and the entire Chorus Community Health Plans team for your partnership. #foodcare #referrals #telenutrition #innovation

The hardest job in healthcare over the next several years may be the work states, payers, providers, and community-based organizations are embarking on to address seismic shifts in Medicaid policy.   I attended FIMCON last week with our founder Jason Langheier MD, MPH and I left Washington DC with three key takeaways: 1) All of these stakeholders share an understanding that food-is-medicine benefits management (FBM) is critical for improving health and reducing total cost of care; 2) MCOs are constantly re-evaluating every investment as funding decreases and enrollment changes; 3) Foodsmart has a 15+ year track record of clinically-rigorous, financially-sound foodcare programs that can help you navigate these changes;   If you are a payer, provider, or community-based organization reach out to learn more about our holistic solutions for evidence-based Telenutrition, Medical Nutrition Therapy, and Medically Tailored Food.    Email partnerships@foodsmart.com to learn more, and check out a sample of our economic and clinical ROI here: https://lnkd.in/euGg3p_u

When health plans evaluate a maternal nutrition program with medically tailored meals, the most important question often goes unasked: who's making the clinical decisions? Food delivery alone leaves the clinical work (assessing each member's needs, monitoring risk, and adjusting the plan when something changes) with the plan's team to absorb. Foodsmart is built differently. Our registered dietitians own the member's care plan from intake through delivery. The RDs are the program; meals are how the plan gets executed. It's the same model behind every population we serve, because the clinical work is what produces outcomes. And the results speak for themselves. Swipe through to see what that looked like in our work with Molina Healthcare of Illinois and how to build it for your members. Then download our white paper (link in the comments) for more details to replicate this inside your own plan.

We've brought on Johnson Lieu and Jason Stenta to help us operationalize the only foodcare model that offers RD-led nutrition therapy and clinically-governed food benefits management. Our latest results speak for themselves: $168 PMPM in GLP-1 savings, 50-75% reduction in unvetted food spend, and 92% of members graduating to food independence. To learn more, read the full release: https://lnkd.in/eWX8Bxta

Most Medicaid plans covering GLP-1 medications have no structured nutrition program in place, and it's costing them. We just published data showing that members on GLP-1 therapy who received concurrent nutrition support saved $168 PMPM more than matched members on GLP-1s alone. That's $2,016 per member annually. The clinical case for pairing these medications with nutrition support is written into the label. FDA-approved prescribing information for semaglutide and tirzepatide both indicate use "as an adjunct to a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity." What's been missing is the actuarial proof. For Medicaid plans managing growing GLP-1 formulary exposure, the question is no longer whether nutrition support matters. It's whether you have the infrastructure to deliver it at scale. https://lnkd.in/gqjUPqtM