Implementing lifestyle medicine as a high-value care solution can lead to better outcomes

The American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) has published a position paper calling for the implementation of lifestyle medicine as a high-value care solution that delivers on the Quintuple Aim-better health outcomes, higher patient and clinician satisfaction, greater health equity, and lower costs.

The paper includes five position statements asserting that lifestyle medicine-a rapidly growing medical specialty focused on evidence-based lifestyle interventions to treat, reverse and prevent chronic disease-offers a scalable and sustainable approach to address the nation’s escalating chronic disease burden and unsustainable healthcare costs. Lifestyle medicine is practiced across primary and specialty care, inpatient and outpatient settings, in both one-on-one and group visits, and through both in-person and virtual modalities. The paper was published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine.

ACLM’s High-Value Care Framework redefines what quality care means in modern medicine, translating lifestyle medicine into a model that fulfills the Quintuple Aim. It aligns seamlessly with the full continuum of care -from prevention to treatment to remission-demonstrating that lifestyle medicine is not confined to one stage but is integral to them all. Lifestyle medicine is high-value care delivery. It offers a unifying framework that mobilizes people, teams, and systems to prevent disease and restore health.”

Padmaja Patel, MD, DipABLM, FACLM, CPE, ACLM President, co-author on the paper

To create the framework, a task force was assembled of experts from fields that included family medicine, internal medicine, emergency medicine, endocrinology, cardiology, pediatrics, oncology, preventive medicine, and psychiatry, all with substantial experience practicing lifestyle medicine. The paper outlines five key position statements establishing lifestyle medicine as:

• A care delivery model that addresses the escalating chronic disease healthcare burden
• A powerful catalyst for healthcare transformation that delivers the Quintuple Aim
• Whole-person care implemented for all populations, across various settings, intensities, and modalities
• A model delivered by trained, interdisciplinary experts in chronic disease care across the continuum, including prevention, treatment, and remission of disease
• Rooted in nine core elements essential to an effective and evidence-based lifestyle medicine care framework: accessible, comprehensive, high quality, integrated, whole-person, accountable, cost-effective, equitable, and achievable.

Chronic diseases account for the vast majority of healthcare spending and preventable deaths in the U.S. Despite spending nearly $5 trillion annually, the nation has the lowest performance on key population health metrics like life expectancy and mortality. The concept of lifestyle medicine as a framework for high-value care comes at a critical time, as ongoing efforts to reform healthcare and control costs-such as managed care and value-based payment models-have underscored the need for better coordination and accountability.

“This framework demonstrates how lifestyle medicine may be implemented at all points of care across the health system that makes high-value, whole-person care a reality,” said Lead Author Samrina Marshall, MD, MPH, DipABLM. “By empowering patients and supporting clinicians with training, certification, and practical tools, we can advance the Quintuple Aim and transform the health of our communities.”