Hot off the press! Academy Pediatrics has published a new study conducted by researchers from the CDC and Denver Health  which  evaluates the impact of integrating clinician medical visits alongside the MEND 7-13 program.  Jessica Wallace PA-C MPH,  a Denver Health study researcher, notes that  “The most recent publication continues to build the evidence base for MEND, in this case with implementation in clinical/Federally-Qualified Health Center settings.  In addition, the additive benefit of medical management integrated into MEND led to changes not just in BMI % trajectory, but also reductions in blood pressure, a marker for cardiovascular disease in this population at early risk for cardiovascular disease.”

Reimbursement is a challenge faced by all providers of child weight management services. The authors of this study conclude that “this integrated medical model creates more opportunities for reimbursement for health services that offset programmatic costs and facilitate additional clinician engagement with important MEND and health-related data entry into the EHR. ”

For more information and to access the publication please visit: https://www.academicpedsjnl.net/article/S1876-2859(20)30636-7/fulltext