The study “Simply Delivered Meals: A Tale of Collaboration,” published in the June 2018 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® (AJMC®), evaluated the "Simply Delivered for ME" program, demonstrating that providing home-delivered meals to high-risk Medicare patients immediately following hospital discharge led to a 38% reduction in 30-day readmission rates. The researchers noted that this collaborative, community-based intervention yielded a remarkable 387% return on investment, saving thousands of dollars per patient by addressing a crucial social determinant of health. In a letters-to-the-editor feature, The Chicago Tribune highlighted these findings to illustrate how integrated social support systems dramatically lower public health care costs, using this data to argue that Illinois lawmakers should extend and strengthen the state's Affordable Housing Tax Credit to similarly integrate housing and community wellness initiatives.
The study “Cost-Effectiveness of Integrated Behavioral Health for Depression, Anxiety, and Chronic Pain,” published in AJMC online early in March 2026, demonstrates that integrating behavioral health services into primary care via telemedicine is cost-effective for adults with depression, anxiety, and chronic pain who are on long-term opioid therapy. Utilizing a decision tree analysis of 632 patients, researchers found that although behavioral health integration required a higher upfront investment than usual care, it significantly reduced patient opioid dosages and prescription drug expenses within accepted willingness-to-pay thresholds. Medical Xpress referenced these findings to highlight how utilizing a multidisciplinary care team consisting of a community health worker, a licensed clinical social worker, and a clinical pharmacist can make mental health services more accessible while supporting a smarter, more sustainable model of health care delivery.
