Socioeconomic factors associated with uptake and satisfaction with a post-hospitalization meals benefit in Medicare Advantage.

BACKGROUND: Kaiser Permanente Southern California began offering a 4-week supplemental benefit of home-delivered meals to Medicare Advantage members after discharge from a hospitalization for heart failure and other medical conditions in 2021. The purpose of this study is to explore the associations between socioeconomic disadvantage and food insecurity with patient uptake of and satisfaction with the meals. METHODS: Data for this cross-sectional study were drawn from survey and electronic medical record data for members referred for the meals benefit (n = 6169) and linked to a hospitalization encounter (n = 2254) between January and December 2021. Uptake was assessed using vendor records; measures of socioeconomic status included the neighborhood deprivation index (NDI) and prior receipt of medical financial assistance (MFA) from the health system. Patients were invited to complete an email or phone survey about their satisfaction with the meals and food insecurity. Multivariable log-binomial regression models were used to examine the association between socioeconomic disadvantage and food insecurity with meals uptake and satisfaction. RESULTS: Sixty-two percent of patients referred for the benefit accepted the meals (mean age: 79 ± 9, 59% people of color). While there was no significant relationship between NDI and meals uptake (RR: 0.99, 95% CI: 0.92-1.07, p = 0.77), patients who received prior MFA were more likely to accept the meals (RR: 1.09, 95% CI: 1.02-1.16, p < 0.01). Sixty-nine percent of patients who completed the survey (23% response rate) reported that meals were very or extremely helpful. Patients with food insecurity (29% of survey respondents) were more likely to report that the meals were helpful for their recovery compared to food secure patients (RR: 1.21, 95% CI: 1.09-1.35, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The home-delivered meals appeared to be particularly utilized by and helpful to patients with greater financial strain and/or food insecurity, suggesting that supplemental benefits could be more targeted toward addressing unmet needs of vulnerable adults.

Association of a Medicare Advantage Posthospitalization Home Meal Delivery Benefit With Rehospitalization and Death.

Importance: The 2018 Chronic Care Act allowed Medicare Advantage plans to have greater flexibility in offering supplemental benefits, such as meals and services, to address unmet needs of beneficiaries with certain chronic conditions. Based on earlier studies of community-based nutritional support, such programs may result in reduced use. Objective: To evaluate the association of a 4-week posthospitalization home-delivered meals benefit with 30-day all-cause rehospitalization and mortality in patients admitted for heart failure (HF) and other acute medical conditions (non-HF). Design, Setting, and Participants: In this cohort study, patients who received meals (the meals group) were compared with 2 controls: (1) no meals in the 2019 historical cohort who would have been eligible for the benefit (the no meals-2019 group) and (2) no meals in the 2021 and 2022 concurrent cohort who were referred but did not receive the meals due to unsuccessful contacts and active declines (the no meals-2021/2022 group). This study took place in a large integrated health care system in southern California among Medicare Advantage members with a hospitalization for HF or other acute medical conditions at 15 Kaiser Permanente hospitals discharged to home. Exposure: The exposure was receipt of at least 1 and up to 4 shipments of home-delivered meals (total of 56 to 84 meals) after hospital discharge. Main Outcomes and Measures: The main outcomes were 30-day all-cause composite rehospitalization and death. Results: A total of 4032 adults with admission to the hospital for HF (mean [SD] age, 79 [9] years; 1951 [48%] White; 2001 [50%] female) and 7944 with non-HF admissions (mean [SD] age, 78 [8] years; 3890 [49%] White; 4149 [52%] female) were included in the analyses. Unadjusted rates of 30-day death and rehospitalization for the meals, no meals-2019, and no meals-2021/2022 cohorts were as follows: HF: 23.3%, 30.1%, and 38.5%; non-HF: 16.5%, 22.4%, and 32.9%, respectively. For HF, exposure to meals was significantly associated with lower odds of 30-day death and rehospitalization compared with the no meals-2021/2022 cohort (OR, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.43-0.71; P < .001) but was not significant compared with the no meals-2019 cohort (OR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.72-1.04; P = .12). For non-HF, exposure to meals was associated with significantly lower odds of 30-day death and rehospitalization when compared with the no meals-2019 (OR, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.52-0.79; P < .001) and the no meals-2021/2022 (OR, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.37-0.62; P < .001) cohorts. Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study, exposure to posthospitalization home-delivered meals was associated with lower 30-day rehospitalization and mortality; randomized clinical trials are needed to confirm these findings.