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Taken together (medication for diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidemia), the data showed a 45 percent reduction in medication costs between weeks 0 and 12 and 54 percent reduction between weeks 0 and 52. The Human Story Aggregate data, while impressive, can conceal the personal impact of weight loss on an individual. As an example, a woman 53 years of age joined our VCWM program with a baseline body weight of nearly 300 pounds and a lengthy list of comorbid conditions for which she was taking eight separate medications. The weight loss she achieved (32.5 percent, year one, and 44.4 percent, year two) significantly impacted her medication use, as noted in Table 1, eliminating medications for hypertension, diabetes and hypercholesterolemia. The Prices We Pay Via Christi and other healthcare delivery systems are acutely aware of the increasing costs associated with obesity. Obesity-related medical treatment costs $210 billion per year, or nearly 21 percent of all annual medical spending (in 2008 dollars), and people with obesity spend $2,741 more on healthcare costs per year relative to non-obese people. Looking ahead, researchers estimate that by 2030, if obesit y trends continue unchecked, U.S. obesit y- related medical costs alone could rise by $43 billion to $66 billion per year. 16 Importantly, a majority of spending is generated from treating obesity-related diseases such as diabetes. 17 For example, among middle-age men, treatment of obesity-related conditions including stroke, coronary artery disease, diabetes, hypertension and elevated cholesterol led to $9,000–$17,000 in higher costs compared with adults of normal weight. 18 Effective solutions to achieve weight loss in patients with obesity have a significant impact on healthcare costs. VCWM is at the fore- front of providing quality care to patients with obesity. The case studies above clearly demonstrate the outcomes that we achieved through our weight-loss program, which — importantly — include reduced medication costs for common obesity-related comorbid conditions. Finally, we also see the success of our programs as an opportunity Reprinted with permission from Group Practice Journal, © 2015 American Medical Group Association, April 2015. amga.org ENTER WEIGHT MGT PROGRAM (WK 0) ONE YEAR (WK 52) TWO YEARS (WK 104) WEIGHT, LBS 297.8 200.9 165.7 BMI, KG/M2 51.1 34.4 28.4 DIOVAN 160 mg/d ENALAPRIL 20 mg/d 20 mg BID TOPROL 100 mg BID LEVEMIR 85 u HS 11 u HS NOVOLOG 35 u TID 6 u TID TRICOR 100 mg BID 100 mg BID VYTORIN 10/40 mg/d 10/40 mg/d ZETIA 10 mg/d * BMI=body mass index, BID=twice a day, HS=at bedtime, TID=three times a day TABLE 1 . CHANGE IN ME DICAL RISK FACTORS AND ME DICATIONS* to improve the health of our workforce. Our employees have the option to participate in the VCWM program and save $30 per month on their health insurance. Outcomes achieved through VCWM also support broad-based delivery of medically managed weight management programs such as HMR across the Via Christi system and the geographic area we serve. Bobbie Paull-Forney, RN, MPH, is Clinical Outcomes Specialist, Via Christi Weight Management, Via Christi Hospitals Wichita, Inc., Wichita. Carol Addy, MD, MMSc, is Chief Medical Officer, and Linda Gotthelf, PhD, is Director of Research at HMR Weight Management Services Corp., Boston. ■ References 1. C.L. Ogden, M.D. Carroll, B.K. Kit, and K.M. Flegal. 2014. Prevalence of childhood and adult obesity in the United States, 2011-2012. JAMA, 311: 806–814. 2. J. Cawley and C. Meyerhoefer. 2012. The medical care costs of obesity: an instrumental variables approach. J Health Economics, 31: 219–230. 3. Ibid. 4. A.A. Kumar, G.P.S. Shantha, S. Kahan, et al. 2012. Intentional weight loss and dose reductions of anti-diabetic medications — a retrospective cohort study. PLoS ONE, 7(suppl. 2): e32395. 5. J.B. Redmon, A.G. Bertoni, S. Connelly, et al. 2010. Effect of the look AHEAD study intervention on medication use and related cost to treat cardiovascular disease risk factors in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care, 33: 1153–1158. 6. B.K. Kit, C.L. Ogden, and K.M. Flegal. 2012. Prescription medication use among normal weight, overweight, and obese adults, United States, 2005–2008. Annals of Epidemiology, 22: 112–119. 7. M.I. Schmidt, R.L. Watson, B.B. Duncan, et al. 1996. Clustering of dyslipidemia, hyperuricemia, diabetes, and hypertension and its association with fasting insulin and central and overall obesity in a general population. Metabolism, 45: 699–706. 8. B.G. Paull-Forney, F. Dong, J.B. Moore, et al. 2014. A physician-directed commercial low calorie diet with intensive behavioral modification decreases metabolic syndrome and medication use. Journal of Obesity & Weight Loss Therapy, 4: 2. 9. J.W. Anderson and M.A. Jhaveri. 2010. Reductions in medications with sub- stantial weight loss with behavioral intervention. Current Clinical Pharmacology, 5: 232–238. 10. M.D. Jensen, D.H. Ryan, C.M. Apovian, et al. 2014. 2013 AHA/ACC/TOS guideline for the management of overweight and obesity in adults: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines and The Obesity Society. Circulation, 129(suppl. 2): S102–S138. 11. 2014 AACE/ACE Consensus Conference on Obesity. 2014. Accessed Jan. 27, 2015, at http://mms.businesswire.com/media/20140325006164/en/408761/1/ aace.pdf. 12. American Dietetic Association. 2009. Position of the American Dietetic Association: Weight Management. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 109:330–346. 13. Medicaid.gov. 2013. Medicaid.gov: Keeping America Healthy. Archived 2013 Draft Monthly NARP Files. Accessed April 15, 2014, at www.medicaid.gov/Medicaid-CHIP-Program-Information/By-Topics/Benefits/ Prescription-Drugs/Survey-of-Retail-Prices.html. 14. Ibid. 15. J. Cawley and C. Meyerhoefer. 2012. Op cit. 16. R.R. Wing, W. Lang, T.A. Wadden, et al. 2011. Benefits of modest weight loss in improving cardiovascular risk factors in overweight and obese individuals with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care, 34: 1481–1486. 17. Y.C. Wang, K. McPherson, T. Marsh, et al. 2011. Health and economic burden of the projected obesity trends in the USA and the UK. Lancet, 378: 815–825. 18. J. Cawley and C. Meyerhoefer. 2012. Op cit. M D N E W S . CO M ■ MD NEWS Greater Kansas | 1 3