A recent study reveals that implementing Lifestyle Redesign occupational therapy in primary care can significantly reduce healthcare costs and improve diabetes self-management, potentially yielding a 236% return on investment.
A new randomized study in primary care patients with diabetes suggests that Lifestyle Redesign occupational therapy may do more than improve daily self-management: it may also cut health care spending. According to the study, patients who received the intervention generated more than $250,000 in savings compared with those who received usual care alone, largely because they had fewer emergency department visits and hospital days.
The research, published in the Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, compared health care use and costs in the year before and the year after Lifestyle Redesign services began. The findings point to a potential 236% return on investment if a primary care clinic employs a full-time occupational therapist certified in the approach, with projected savings of more than $350,000 once salary and benefits are factored in.
Steven Fox, an assistant research professor at the USC Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, said the results show the model makes financial sense for health systems and payers because it shifts patients toward lower-cost primary care rather than expensive acute care. He said the intervention appears to improve focus on diabetes management and may help avert costlier complications later, including renal failure and serious heart disease.
The intervention itself is relatively intensive but targeted. Patients assigned to Lifestyle Redesign could receive up to eight one-hour sessions, held every two to three weeks, in which they worked with an occupational therapist to set goals, build practical routines and strengthen the everyday habits needed for diabetes care. David Ho, medical director for primary care Adult West at Los Angeles General Medical Center, said the clinic has seen patients become more confident in managing chronic illness and that occupational therapists with Lifestyle Redesign training have strengthened its ability to support comprehensive primary care.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
