Danville, Pennsylvania -based Geisinger Health Plan has found that free, healthy food was the prescription for an average two-point reduction in HbA1c counts for Geisinger diabetes patients. The health plan embedded two food insecurity statements within the medical record protocol for patients with type 2 diabetes and referred qualifying patients to its Fresh Food Farmacy program that provides diabetes-appropriate food for two meals a day, five days a week. Geisinger said it realizes an average $8,000-$12,000 cost savings per patient HbA1c percentage point. Read more
