Food As Medicine - From Buzzword to Impact in Medicare Advantage Plans

Food scarcity, poor nutrition, bad habits, SDOH, A1C scores, prescription costs, BMI. There are so many buzzwords around using food as medicine, especially in the Medicare Advantage space.

SSBCI brought meal benefits into the MA mainstream. Yet meal benefits continue to be a “least cost” benefit, with mediocre food, poor service, and no measurable impact on HEDIS scores, enrollment, health outcomes, and cost of care. 

However, at Healthrageous™ we have watched thousands of members enroll in our Made Easy Meal programs to engage in their health by getting great food AND digital nudges and reminders via SMS or email. Allow us to share!

Made Easy Meals - A Year of Impact

Members say that our programs generate remarkable impact. Out of the thousands enrolled, over 85% of them actively order meals and engage in healthy behaviors. 90% surveyed say the program helps them better manage their chronic conditions. 

This high level of engagement is a testament to the value our members see in Healthrageous. But numbers only tell part of the story. The real impact lies in the improved health outcomes and enhanced patient experiences we've been able to deliver.

Our Made Easy Meals program is a game-changer. Meal Satisfaction rates over 81% show our meals are a hit in terms of taste and variety and also play a crucial role in promoting healthier eating habits. 

All of Made Easy Meals are tailored to be diabetic and cardiac-friendly. When all of our meals are low carb, low sodium, high protein, high fiber, it takes the guesswork out of reading labels. They’re healthy meals, easy to order, and convenient to heat-and-eat. That’s why our top 10 meals have a satisfaction rate of 85% and rising.

“I want to give the most stars to the taste and healthiness because the meals run circles around anything else out there.” 

And we continuously raise the bar. We develop new meals incorporating high levels of member feedback. Because of our combination of meals and engagement, survey response rates hit 30% and higher. This leads to insights on members that health plans desire, but find hard to get, such as periodic health assessments, wellness visit reminders, and plan satisfaction.

Convenience is Key 

We understand that convenience is key for our members. It is at the heart of member experience. That is why while we have a great call center, we see significant numbers of Seniors choose a self-serve experience instead of making a phone call. Over 85% of members order meals online and more than 70% choose subscriptions for meal delivery. They love the convenience of regular, hassle-free deliveries straight to their door. And the call center? It is world-class with an abandonment rate of less than 1.5%, first contact resolution rate of 98.6%, and an average handle time of 5 minutes. 

Performance is Real

None of the convenience and satisfaction would be possible without our logistics performance. Seniors can rely on us to consistently fulfill and deliver their orders, to a degree that borders on perfection. For example, in the last three months we’ve had a perfect order rate of 98%, an order to delivery time of 2 days, and shipment rating (yes, we measure satisfaction of all our touch points) of 4.6 out of five. This type of performance drives our goal of delighting the member, which leads to comments such as:

“...I use the tracker which comes in handy and also makes it much easier to let me know when the order is coming and delivered Thank You.”

“Driver dropped off package, put it out of sight as much as my door allows, knocked. perfect.”

‍A Community of Health

Our impact extends beyond our members to the broader community. Our Healthrageous Engagement Program activates high levels of clicks through to healthy living resources making positive changes and moving toward healthier behaviors. Through a rhythm of touches by meal deliveries and digital nudges, members engage in new resources like rides to the doctor, vision checkups, telehealth services, integrated nutrition and medication reviews. Yes, these types of messages are seen in many other “engagement” programs, but with the trust we gain through delivering food, we see click rates of around 35% across all of our messages.

“I like receiving healthy tips through text so I could decide what was relevant for me to read.”

“I feel that all the messages from you are important to me. And feel that I benefited from your suggestions.”

As a result, 90% of enrolled members surveyed say that they feel more supported by their health plan. These members become “sticky” and loyal to their Medicare Advantage Plan, and more importantly, continue with healthy behaviors that positively impact their health and happiness. 

“I feel it's very important. It has helped me immensely... I hope and pray you continue this benefit.”

Why does this matter to you? Because Healthrageous is more than a meal delivery service - it's a comprehensive program that empowers seniors to take control of their health. With our Made Easy Meals and Healthrageous Engagement Program, we're not just delivering food; we're delivering health, satisfaction, and a lifestyle change.

Our program has already made a significant impact, with high engagement rates and positive feedback from members. And we can show you how it has improved outcomes AND reduced health plan costs, to the tune of over 100% ROI in the first year. 

So, let's work together to create a healthier future for seniors. Contact us today to learn how we can partner to drive better health outcomes, higher member satisfaction, and lasting lifestyle changes that lead to lower plan costs.

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