Fruit Street Health, a CDC-recognized diabetes prevention program, has applied to become a Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program Supplier. Once approved, Medicare Part B beneficiaries with prediabetes will be able to sign up for Fruit Street’s diabetes prevention program at no-cost, as long as they have not previously participated in the diabetes prevention program.
FORT WORTH, Texas, Aug. 6, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Fruit Street Health, a CDC-recognized diabetes prevention program, has applied to become a Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program Supplier. Once approved, Medicare Part B beneficiaries with prediabetes will be able to sign up for Fruit Street’s diabetes prevention program at no-cost, as long as they have not previously participated in the diabetes prevention program.
The Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program (MDPP) is an evidence-based lifestyle intervention with the long-term goal of preventing type 2 diabetes in Medicare beneficiaries with prediabetes. Decades of research has shown that lifestyle intervention can decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes in individuals with prediabetes by 58% and reduce the risk in people over 60 by 71%.
Fruit Street delivers the diabetes prevention program through the In-Person with Distance Learning delivery modality which means that Medicare participants will have the option of participating in the program via telehealth and live group video conferencing on Zoom with registered dietitians. Medicare beneficiaries will also be issued a wireless scale and will have the option of integrating their Fitbit into the Fruit Street application to track physical activity.
The Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program expanded model is a structured intervention with the goal of preventing type 2 diabetes in individuals with an indication of prediabetes. The clinical intervention consists of 16 intensive “core” sessions of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) approved curriculum (The National Diabetes Prevention Program, or National DPP) that provides practical training in long-term dietary change, increased physical activity, and behavior change strategies for weight control. The sessions are furnished weekly over six months in a group-based, classroom-style setting or in a virtual distance learning setting. After completing the core sessions, six less intensive follow-up meetings furnished monthly over the next six months help ensure that the participants maintain healthy behaviors. Suppliers may offer and patients may attend more than 22 sessions, but Medicare will only pay for up to 22 MDPP sessions per eligible patient.
Laurence Girard, Fruit Street Health’s CEO stated, “We have been waiting more than 7 years for Medicare to allow organizations such as Fruit Street to register as a Medicare provider. Today that day has finally come. We are excited about the opportunity to offer the diabetes prevention program via the In-Person With Distance Learning delivery modality, which will give participants all over the country the opportunity to participate in the DPP regardless of their geographic location. Today, nearly 1 in 2 Medicare patients have prediabetes and are at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Fruit Street’s diabetes prevention program can help these individuals reduce their risk for developing Type 2 diabetes. The good news is that Medicare patients will be able to participate without even paying a copay. The program is covered at no cost to them by Medicare.”
Fruit Street plans to enroll Medicare beneficiaries through a combination of direct to consumer advertising, physicians referring their patients, working with Medicare Advantage Plans, and by receiving referrals from the American Diabetes Association’s Diabetes Prevention Alliance.
About Fruit Street
Fruit Street Health delivers the CDC’s National Diabetes Prevention Program through the In-Person With Distance Learning Component Delivery Type. This enables participants to participate in Fruit Street’s program, if they choose to, via telehealth and live group video conferencing on Zoom with registered dietitians. Participants can also use a wireless scale and Fitbit that integrate with the app to track weight loss and physical activity. Fruit Street is a public benefit corporation whose mission is to deliver the CDC’s National Diabetes Prevention Program via telehealth and live group video conferencing. Fruit Street is a proud member of the American Diabetes Association’s Diabetes Prevention Alliance.
Media Contact
Laurence Girard, Fruit Street Health, 1 3475152417, [email protected], https://www.fruitstreet.com/
SOURCE Fruit Street Health
