New Findings on Managed Care Discussed by Researchers at UMass Chan Medical School (Medically tailored meals receipt and healthcare utilization and costs in Massachusetts’ Medicaid demonstration): Managed Care

2026 JUN 11 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Current study results on Managed Care have been published. According to news reporting out of Worcester, Massachusetts, by NewsRx editors, research stated, “Smaller quasi-experimental studies and short-term controlled trials of medically tailored meals (MTMs) have shown health benefits for several conditions, but MTMs have not been evaluated in large-scale policy initiatives. Multiple US states are now implementing MTMs in Medicaid, the health insurance program for low-income individuals, yet their impact has not been evaluated.”

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from UMass Chan Medical School, “We investigated changes in hospitalizations, emergency department (ED) visits and healthcare costs among 1,866 MTM recipients and 1,372 comparators from 2020 to 2023 across 11 health systems in Massachusetts. Both groups met eligibility criteria for diet-related conditions and food insecurity. We used propensity overlap-weighted generalized estimating equations to compare a 6-month baseline period to the program period. MTM receipt (mean, 6.7 months) was associated with 31% fewer hospitalizations (adjusted incidence rate ratio (aIRR) = 0.69 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.58-0.82)), 20% fewer ED visits (aIRR = 0.80 (95% CI: 0.72-0.89)) and US$3,433 lower total healthcare costs (95% CI: $-1,215 to -$5,651). Healthcare cost reductions offset 98% of the MTM program costs during the enrollment period. Findings were robust across sensitivity analyses, a negative control test and a secondary comparison group. In stratified analyses, MTM receipt was net cost-saving among participants with cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, depression, diabetes or high comorbidity.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “This large MTM policy evaluation informs consideration of ‘food is medicine’ therapies in clinical care.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Medically tailored meals receipt and healthcare utilization and costs in Massachusetts’ Medicaid demonstration. Nature Medicine, 2026. Nature Medicine can be contacted at: Nature Portfolio, Heidelberger Platz 3, Berlin, 14197, Germany. (Nature Publishing Group - http://www.nature.com/; Nature Medicine - http://www.nature.com/nm/)

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Kurt Hager, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, United States. Additional authors for this research include Matthew Alcusky, Fang Fang Zhang, Gary Sing, Arlene Ash, Eric Mick, Jean Terranova, Erin DiBacco, Stephanie Buckler, Allison Rich, Jessica Bowman, Sara Folta, Kim Prendergast, Jasper Frank, Cheryl Ball, Jenny S. Chiang and Dariush Mozaffarian.

Publisher contact information for the journal Nature Medicine is: Nature Portfolio, Heidelberger Platz 3, Berlin, 14197, Germany.

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