Driving Down Weight,
Medications and Costs
By Bobbie Paull-Forney, RN, MPH; Carol Addy, MD, MMSc; and Linda Gotthelf, PhD
Obesity Epidemic:
WITH AN OVERARCHING OBJECTIVE
OF BUILDING HEALTHY COMMUNITIES
AND WITH 69 PERCENT OF AMERICANS
CONSIDERED OVERWEIGHT OR
OBESE,
1
VIA CHRISTI HEALTH IS
PARTICULARLY ATTUNED TO THE
IMPACT OF THE OBESITY EPIDEMIC ON
POPULATION HEALTH.
SPECI A L FE AT UR E
O
BESITY IS A major driver of healthcare expenditures
in the United States.
2
Approximately 20.6 percent
of total annual U.S. healthcare expenditures are
attributed to obesity-related illnesses, with per-capita
medical spending approximately $2,741 higher per year than for
non-obese individuals.
3
Via Christi has acknowledged the combined
impact of increasing overall costs, and the growing proportion of
obesity-related costs highlights the significance of treating and
managing the long-term care of patients with obesity.
Via Christi is the largest provider of healthcare services in Kansas.
Based in Wichita, we serve Kansas and northeast Oklahoma
through our physicians, hospitals, senior villages and health services.
We are a clinician-led healthcare organization, and Via Christi
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