Massachusetts Wellness Trust Aligns Health Care System with Prevention Efforts

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An investment as little as $10 per person per year in evidenced-based, community prevention programs, such as those that increase physical activity and improve nutrition, could create health care savings of more than $16 billion annually within five years.

In 2012, the Massachusetts (11.2% Latino) became the first state to use a wellness trust as an effort to reduce health care costs by preventing chronic conditions when the Massachusetts Legislature established the Prevention and Wellness Trust (PWTF) through a one time assessment on acute hospitals and payers, totaling $57 million.

The Trust supports nine community-based partnerships, including municipalities, clinical organizations, healthcare systems, community-based organizations, businesses, regional planning organizations, and schools, in addressing diabetes, obesity, pediatric asthma, older adult falls, hypertension, tobacco use, and substance abuse.

Read about the urgency of fighting Latino childhood obesity with physical activity.

2015 was the first full year of PWTF implementation with a focus on implementing evidence-based interventions; utilizing quality improvement techniques to support effective interventions; and improving community and clinical linkages include e-Referral. E-Referrals allows clinical providers to refer directly from their electronic health records to community based organizations. Community based organizations are then able to provide bi-directional feedback about the patient’s participation in and completion of the intervention to the clinical site and electronic health record.

Bi-directional, clinic-to-community referrals for healthy interventions could play a major role in improving Latino health by connecting health care providers to healthy resources in the community and reversing dependence on treatment rather than prevention, especially at the population level. The American Medical Association (AMA) and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) believe that health care providers need to assess patient’s physical activity level as a vital sign at every visit, thus health care providers need to be equipped with local physical activity opportunities and resources.

Read a Salud Hero story about how the San Antonio Parks Department provides free fitness classes in parks across the city.