Instacart and health insurance company Kaiser Permanente have unveiled a collaboration to study the impact of access to nutritious food on health outcomes. The study will target Kaiser Permanente Northern California and Southern California Medi-Cal members who have diet-related diseases.
Kaiser Permanente will provide participants with Instacart Health Fresh Funds, grocery stipends that can be used to purchase nutritious foods and pantry staples like fresh and frozen produce, legumes, plant-based oils, and spices, from Instacart’s virtual storefront. Participants will have items delivered to their homes via Instacart.
"We're dedicated to addressing nutrition insecurity, and by leveraging our technology, significant reach, and retail partnerships, we can help families across the country get nutritious foods delivered through Instacart," said Sarah Mastrorocco, VP and general manager of Instacart Health, in a statement. "We know access can lead to better health outcomes, and we're proud to partner with Kaiser Permanente to demonstrate the positive impact that nutrition security and food as medicine can have on a patient's overall health and well-being."
The study will measure the effects of providing funds to purchase nutritious groceries for Medi-Cal patients with diet-related diseases. It will measure blood sugar levels as compared to the usual standard of care, reported food and nutrition security, diet-related disease quality of life, patient readiness to change, and hospitalization or emergency department visits. The results will provide further evidence on the impact of Food Is Medicine on health and the health care industry.
"At Kaiser Permanente, we know that without access to nutritious food, individuals are less likely to stay healthy, increasing the likelihood of new and widening health disparities and health care costs," said Dr. Anand Shah, VP of social health at Kaiser Permanente, in a statement. "This innovative study is one of the many avenues that we're pursuing to improve the health of our members and communities with diet-related diseases."
This news comes in the wake of Instacart Health’s announcement to partner with Mount Sinai Solutions to offer post-operative and post-partum patients access to healthy foods.
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