Chronic Health Conditions in the Veteran Population
Per the most recent U.S. Census Bureau, there are 15.8 million veterans in the United States. Of which, 72% of the veteran population suffer from at least one chronic health condition, which is 44% higher than the national averagei. These treatable chronic conditions (diabetes, coronary heart disease, COPD, hypertensive disorder, etc.) are creating a significant burden on the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and contributing to an unacceptable trend in veteran mortality.
i. Yu W, Ravelo A, Wagner TH, Phibbs CS,Bhandari A, Chen S, Barnett PG. Prevalence and costs of chronic conditions in the VA health care system. Med Care Res Rev. 2003, available at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15095551/.
VHA’s Whole Health Initiative
Preventing chronic health conditions is significantly less expensive than a lifetime of pharmaceutical treatment or medical interventions. It has long been understood that proper nutrition is a critical component of a comprehensive care plan for the health and well-being of veteran patients. As the country’s largest integrated healthcare system, VHA recognizes the importance of removing disparities in health care and health care outcomes by implementing a “whole health” strategic initiative to address chronic health conditions through the following VHA Directives: 1438, 1120.02, and 1120.05.
- VHA Directive 1438, Clinical Nutrition Management and Therapy (Sept. 30, 2022) (establishing VHA policy for Nutrition and Food Services (NFS) “to fulfill its mission of providing comprehensive medical nutrition services for those requiring preventative care or who are nutritionally compromised or have an unresolved nutrition diagnosis.”)
- VHA Directive 1120.02, Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Core Program Requirements (Sept. 19, 2019) (“VHA’s preventive care programming is designed to ensure that veterans receive comprehensive health education, appropriate clinical preventive services, support for self-care that includes health behavior change, and support for self-management of chronic conditions such as overweight and obesity.”)
- VHA Directive 1120.05, The National Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention and the Coordination and Development of Clinical Preventive Services Guidance (Jul. 31, 2020) (“[Clinical Preventive Services] is a service delivered in the clinical setting for the primary prevention of disease, or for the early detection of disease in persons with no symptoms of the target condition, with the goal of preventing or minimizing future morbidity and mortality.”)
U.S. House of Representatives Passes Report Language in Support of Food-as-Medicine for Veterans
To assist VHA in the implementation of its whole health strategic initiative to address chronic health conditions, the U.S. House of Representatives recently passed report language in the MilConVA Appropriations FY2025 package to include medically tailored meals and food be provided, when VA providers deem it to be appropriate, in order to support a healthy food-as-medicine component and as part of a comprehensive care plan for veterans with at least one chronic health condition
Medically Tailored Meals.—The Committee recognizes the ability for VA to provide food to veterans in both inpatient and non-inpatient settings under existing statutory authority. The Committee requests that medically tailored meals and food be provided, when VA providers deem it to be appropriate, in order to support a healthy food-as-medicine component and as part of a comprehensive care plan for veterans with at least one chronic health condition. (See page 47)
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The Veteran HealthPak® Medically-Tailored Meals
The Veteran HealthPak Food-as-Medicine 12-Week Program provides 168 medically-tailored, condition specific pre-made meals and/or meal kit boxes delivered to a Veteran’s doorstep (14 meals per week) post discharge from a VA Medical Center and/or for patients with a chronic health condition (i.e., diabetes, heart disease, obesity, etc.).
Spartan Medical Inc., the exclusive federal government supplier of the Veteran HealthPak® and Tangelo, a vertically-integrated food-as-medicine logistics platform market leader, collaborate to bring Medically Tailored Meals (MTMs) to VA Medical Centers (VAMCs) and Community-Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) across the country in an effort to help address the growing veteran population suffering from one or more chronic health conditions.
The Solution
We make prescribing food-as-medicine simple for VA providers, to support Veterans with chronic conditions, improving their health and reduce costs.
- Measure Diet Quality As a Vital Sign and offer food that fills Veterans's nutritional gaps that lead to disease.
- Provide a choice of medically-tailored, culturally appropriate prepared meals and semi-prepared meal kits.
- Deliver food to Veterans' doorsteps nationwide through our validated food-as-medicine supply chain.
- Evaluate the impact of our food offerings on Veterans' diet qualities and health, and re-prescribe.
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The Meals
- Meals, Meal Kits, & Full Line Groceries: 100+ Prepared Meals and Meal Kits, and 100+ full-line Grocery Items.
- Fresh, Whole Food Ingredients: Sourced local-first from US farmers. No fillers and no additives. Packed in eco-friendly, recycled, easy-to-handle packaging.
- Diverse Cultures, with Veteran Input: We serve diverse cultural palates and work directly with customers to craft and iterate delicious dishes and menus that Veterans love to eat.
- Easy to Prepare: All of our prepared meals are pre-cooked, ready to heat & eat in 1-3 minutes. Meal Kits take less than 10 minutes to cook.
Engage Veterans via Easy to Use App and Nutrition Education
- We provide highly personalized nutritional engagements to Veterans that support Diet Quality improvement.
- Our expert clinical team develops research-backed educational content in bite-sized articles, videos, infographics, and printouts.
- Education is easy-to-follow, budget-friendly, & culturally appropriate. Designed to help veterans integrate healthy food choices into their lives.
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Veteran HealthPak® Program
What’s included
Dietary Assessment & Food Offer
Completed every 12 weeks. With food offered being available for post discharge and chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension and obesity.
Covered, Prescribed Food
168 Chef-Designed Dietitian-Approved Medically Tailored Meals delivered weekly for 12 weeks - 14 Meals per week, includes all packaging, shipping, and handling.
Veteran Nutrition Incentive
Access to Chef-Designed, Dietitian-Approved Medically Tailored Meals, Meal kits or Groceries Marketplace for discounted purchase using the Veteran Nutrition Incentive.
Cost-Effectiveness of Medically Tailored Meals (MTMs)
Two recent studies have evaluated the cost-effectiveness of Medically Tailored Meals (MTMs) and their impact on addressing chronic conditions. A 2022 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that providing medically tailored meals to patients with chronic conditions averted an average of $18.89 in health care costs per meal provided (i). Similarly, a 2023 study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that averted healthcare costs exceeded the cost of the Medically Tailored Meals provided in the study. (ii). Both studies show a correlation between MTMs used to address chronic conditions with a reduction in healthcare costs. Specifically, the JAMA study resulted in net savings of $18.89 per meal realized within the first 12 months.
The economic data makes a compelling argument for using medically tailored meal programs, like the Veteran HealthPak®, however the benefits of dramatically improving the nutritional health of veterans with chronic conditions is the primary consideration for VHA’s whole health strategic initiatives for disease prevention.
i. “Association of National Expansion of Insurance Coverage of Medically tailored Meals with Estimated Hospitalizations and Health Care Expenditures in the US,” K. Hager, et al., JAMA Netw. Open 2022, available online at: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2797397
ii. “Health and Economic Impacts of Implementing Produce Prescription Programs for Diabetes in the United States: A Microsimulation Study,” L. Wang, et al., JAHA vol. 12, no. 15 (2023), available online at https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/JAHA.122.029215
Key Features
To learn more about how VA providers can access the Veteran HealthPak, please contact Spartan Medical at cs@spartanmedical.com or (888) 240-8091. We are available at any time to meet with providers and staff to answer any questions about Spartan Medical’s entire portfolio of advanced medical solutions.
