Rally Health, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA.
Obesity (Silver Spring). 2021 Apr;29(4):654-661. doi: 10.1002/oby.23117.
This study aimed to determine the medical cost impact and return on investment (ROI) of a large, commercial, digital, weight-management intensive lifestyle intervention (ILI) program (Real Appeal).
Participants in this program were compared with a control group matched by age, sex, geographic region, health risk, baseline medical costs, and chronic conditions. Medical costs were defined as the total amount paid for all medical expenses, inclusive of both the insurers' and the study participants' responsibility.
In the 3 years following program registration, the intent-to-treat (ITT) cohort had significantly lower medical expenditures than the matched controls, with an average of -$771 or 12% lower costs (P = 0.002). Among 4,790 ITT participants, a total savings of $3,693,090 compared with total program costs of $1,639,961 translated into a 2.3:1 ROI. Program completers (n = 3,990), who attended more sessions than the overall ITT group, had greater mean weight loss (-4.4%), greater cost savings (-$956 or 14%), and an ROI of 2.0:1 over the 3-year time frame compared with matched controls.
The findings demonstrated that the digital weight-management ILI was associated with a significantly positive ROI. Employers and payers willing to cover the cost of an ILI that produces both weight loss and demonstrated cost benefits can improve health and save money for their population with overweight or obesity.
本研究旨在评估大型商业数字化体重管理强化生活方式干预（ILI）计划（Real Appeal）的医疗成本影响和投资回报率（ROI）。
将该计划的参与者与通过年龄、性别、地理区域、健康风险、基线医疗费用和慢性病匹配的对照组进行比较。医疗费用被定义为所有医疗费用的总支出，包括保险公司和研究参与者的责任。
在计划注册后的 3 年内，意向治疗（ITT）队列的医疗支出明显低于匹配对照组，平均节省 -771 美元，即节省 12%的费用（P=0.002）。在 4790 名 ITT 参与者中，与总计划成本 1639961 美元相比，总共节省了 3693090 美元，换算成 ROI 为 2.3:1。与匹配对照组相比，完成计划（n=3990）的参与者，即参加课程次数超过总体 ITT 组的参与者，体重减轻幅度更大（-4.4%），成本节省更多（-956 美元，即 14%），在 3 年的时间框架内，ROI 为 2.0:1。
研究结果表明，数字化体重管理 ILI 与显著的正 ROI 相关。愿意支付既能减轻体重又能带来成本效益的 ILI 费用的雇主和支付方可以改善其超重或肥胖人群的健康状况并节省资金。
