AMGA Foundation Releases First-of-Its-Kind Playbook for Obesity Care Implementation

Alexandria, VA—AMGA has released for download and distributed among its robust network of medical group members, the Obesity Care Model playbook, a first-of-its-kind primer for implementing a proven program for the treatment of overweight and obesity. AMGA collaborated with 10 high-performing healthcare organizations to develop a model of care for implementing adult obesity programs for medical groups and health systems in primary care. The development of the playbook is part of a broader effort to share their successful strategies with organizations interested in implementing obesity care management programs in their systems. 

The playbook highlights practical and actionable interventions that have been tested and proven to yield positive outcomes by the 10 organizations that participated in AMGA Foundation’s Obesity Care Model Collaborative (OCMC).

“At present, there is no universally agreed-upon standard of care for treating people with obesity, which has led to wide variances in quality between one provider and the next. AMGA Foundation set out to address this challenge through its OCMC initiative,” said John Kennedy, M.D., AMGA Foundation president and AMGA chief medical officer. “The culmination of the OCMC’s efforts is this playbook, which we are hopeful other medical groups and health systems will use as they begin to formally structure their care plan for this often-overlooked condition.”

To demonstrate how implementation might look, interventions are accompanied by several examples provided by OCMC participants. The playbook also features a host of additional tools and resources, as well as a checklist, including:

  • Implement staff and provider education in obesity
  • Create, integrate and support a multidisciplinary care team in order to adequately address all elements of obesity care
  • Designate a physician and other clinical champions to advocate for the appropriate delivery of care to patients with diabetes
  • Identify and create community partnerships through a “community champion” program, to ensure patients’ voices are heard
  • Compile existing community resource lists and provide them to patients
  • Include a patient/family champion or develop a patient advisory group 
  • Provide obesity management education to patients
  • Conduct shared medical appointments between patients and care teams
  • Work with payers on reimbursement issues for treatment
  • Focus on coding opportunities to increase payment for care of patients with obesity
  • Develop patient problem lists for obesity within EHRs to more accurately diagnose and properly treat patients

“We know obesity is a serious and chronic disease, yet it’s often difficult to discuss in a single medical visit,” said Todd Hobbs, M.D., Chief Medical Officer for Novo Nordisk in North America. “It’s important to have standardized processes and treatment regimens in place so people with obesity are able to talk about weight with their healthcare providers and work together on an individualized and complete care plan to help lose weight and keep it off.”

About OCMC

OCMC, supported by a grant from Novo Nordisk Inc., began in 2017 to define, pilot, and evaluate a framework and its necessary components to address obesity in primary care within multispecialty medical groups, integrated health systems, and academic medical centers. During the collaborative, 10 healthcare organizations identified innovations, successes, and challenges, as well as tested models of care to address obesity. Four national organizations, American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, Obesity Medicine Association, Obesity Action Coalition, and The Obesity Society, participated as collaborators and resources to the participants. By the end of the Collaborative, there was an increase in obesity diagnosis documentation among the participating groups. More information about this collaborative, including case studies for each provider participant, are available on AMGA’s website. 

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About AMGA Foundation
AMGA Foundation is AMGA’s philanthropic arm that enables medical groups and other organized systems of care to consistently improve health and health care. AMGA Foundation serves as a catalyst, connector, and collaborator for translating the evidence of what works best in improving health and health care in everyday practice. Learn more at amga.org/foundation.

About AMGA
AMGA is a trade association leading the transformation of health care in America. Representing multispecialty medical groups and integrated systems of care, we advocate, educate, innovate and empower our members to deliver the next level of high performance health. AMGA is the national voice promoting awareness of medical groups’ recognized excellence in the delivery of coordinated, high-quality, cost-effective care. More than 175,000 physicians practice in our member organizations, delivering care to one in three Americans.

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Media Contact:

Sharon Grace
Chief Communications Officer
703.838.0033 ext. 393
sgrace@amga.org
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