Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Jul 30;15(1):23-27.
doi: 10.1177/1559827620943819. eCollection 2021 Jan-Feb.

Lifestyle Medicine Shared Medical Appointments

Salvatore Lacagnina  1   2   3 , Jean Tips  1   2   3 , Kaitlyn Pauly  1   2   3 , Kelly Cara  1   2   3 , Micaela Karlsen  1   2   3
Affiliations

Lifestyle Medicine Shared Medical Appointments

Salvatore Lacagnina et al. Am J Lifestyle Med. .

Abstract

Chronic diseases pose many challenges to health care providers and the health care system from a human capital, logistic, and financial perspective. To overcome these challenges, efficient and effective health care delivery models that address multiple chronic conditions need to be leveraged. Shared medical appointments are one potential solution to address these issues. This article offers a brief history of group visits and shared medical appointments and reviews the available data regarding their outcomes. It describes the benefits of using lifestyle medicine as the primary therapeutic modality within a shared medical appointment to treat, reverse, and prevent chronic disease. Key considerations and action steps for the implementation of lifestyle medicine shared medical appointments (LMSMAs) are outlined and the potential delivery of these services via telehealth is explored.

Keywords: group visits; lifestyle medicine; lifestyle-based group visits; shared medical appointments; telehealth.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Real-World Example of Financial Success.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Lifestyle Medicine Shared Medical Appointment (LMSMA) Patient Medical Record Example.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About chronic diseases. Accessed June 5, 2020 https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/about/index.htm
    1. Jaber R, Braksmajer A, Trilling JS. Group visits: a qualitative review of current research. J Am Board Fam Med. 2006;19:276-290. - PubMed
    1. Edelman D, McDuffie JR, Oddone E, Gierisch JM, Nagi A, Williams JW., Jr. Shared Medical Appointments for Chronic Medical Conditions: A Systematic Review. Department of Veterans Affairs, US; 2012. - PubMed
    1. American Academy of Family Physicians. Shared medical appointments/group visits. Accessed May 28, 2020 https://www.aafp.org/about/policies/all/shared-medical.html
    1. Booth A, Cantrell A, Preston L, Chambers D, Goyder E. What is the evidence for the effectiveness, appropriateness, and feasibility of group clinics for patients with chronic disease? A systematic review. In: Health Services Delivery Research. NIHR Journals Library; 2015:1-194. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources