Obesity has dominated the United States over the past few decades, but the problem has been exacerbated by the pandemic.Newest CDC data Shows 42% of Americans were obese in March 2020. polls A study conducted last year by the American Psychological Association found that nearly half of Americans said they had gained more weight than expected during the pandemic, with an average gain of about 30 pounds.
obesity also make managing other chronic diseases that are difficult to control, whether diabetes, Cardiovascular disease or certain cancers. That’s why providers and payers must integrate more weight loss strategies in chronic disease care, says endocrinologist Dr. Gabriel Smolarz. Novo NordiskSenior Medical Director of Obesity.He suggested that Chamber of Commerce 9th Annual Health Summit Held on Tuesday.
The healthcare industry has done a poor job of acknowledging the disproportionate role of obesity in chronic disease outcomes, Dr. Smolarz said, arguing that “treating upstream problems can improve downstream outcomes.” Panelist Dr. Amy Frieman, Hackensack Meridian Health‘s chief health officer agrees with Dr. Smolarz.
“We have to target the whole person — it’s patient-centred care,” she said. “When we think about obesity, we need to think about it in the same way that we think about any other chronic disease, and that is to really address all the factors that can contribute to this disease.”
PhD. Freeman and Smolaz claim that weight loss can often play a huge role in reducing the severity of chronic diseases in patients. Dr. Smolarz said patients could improve chronic conditions such as diabetes by losing as little as 5 percent of their body weight a year after diagnosis. The amount of weight loss required increases with certain other conditions, such as fatty liver disease, but weight loss as low as 5% can be significant in reducing adverse health outcomes, he noted.
It’s important to understand that each patient’s obesity treatment plan looks different, he said. For example, doctors may give certain cholesterol guidelines to obese patients with heart disease.These guidelines may look different from fertility-enhancing weight loss programs assigned to patients with: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. Social determinants of health should also always be considered when developing a patient’s weight loss plan — physicians must consider whether a patient has access to healthy food or access to a local gym.
Providers must also take into account that some patients have genetic factors that make it more difficult for them to lose weight. For these patients, weight loss medications may need to be introduced into their treatment plan. To describe this, Dr. Smolarz offered the analogy of a patient with severe schizophrenia. The medical industry agrees that these patients should be treated with antipsychotics because talk therapy alone cannot cure the chemical imbalance in their brains.Likewise, some patients have genes that make a healthy diet and exercise insufficient for weight loss, and They may need medication to treat an appetite disorder, which is an abnormality in how the body regulates metabolism. Dr. Smolarz said these drugs can help patients lose weight and thus reduce chronic disease complications, but health plans often don’t include them.
“Medicare Part D doesn’t cover anti-obesity drugs, which is very unfortunate because they’re also trendsetters for private payers,” he said.
However, payers may want to buck the trend and take the lead rather than wait for the government to do so. That’s because incorporating more obesity treatment programs into chronic disease care could cut overall health care spending.Health care costs for obese Americans are $1,861 higher Health care costs for Americans who maintain a healthy weight in 2019, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Image credit: Flickr user Baratunde Thurston
