Formation of a National Lifestyle Medicine Network to Benefit Patients and Lifestyle Medicine Providers.

Abstract

The American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) is forming a Lifestyle Medicine Provider Network (LMPN). The goal of this network is 2-fold: (1) to provide significant benefits to patients by focusing on the adoption of intensive evidence-based lifestyle medicine (LM) therapies to treat and reverse chronic disease and (2) to benefit LM providers by supporting their practice operations and optimizing contracting and reimbursement opportunities. The 2 phases of the network development will include (1) network formation and practice standardization and (2) deployment for group contracting. LMPN will be organized as a special project of the ACLM, with leadership provided through the ACLM LMPN Task Force. As part of this first phase, ACLM will devote the necessary resources to establish the network and promote LM training, certification, and sharing of best practices across the network. The second phase will necessitate the establishment of a separate corporate entity, enabling the acquisition of the required capital and expertise to fully realize the potential of LMPN deployment. Strategic direction will be provided by a LMPN Board of Advisors, consisting of select network members as well as select members of ACLM's Board of Directors. The first priority of the LMPN will be to recruit interested and qualifying LM practitioners and standardize the LM approach and process of care delivery, starting with high-value services, such as chronic care management. The focus on maximizing existing provider program incentives avails the LMPN the fastest and most efficient path to demonstrating value to its members and to its client base.