4.19.2023 Board Book

The Obesity Medicine Association's "Obesity: Treat or Refer" Project Outline

Business Case: Multidisciplinary, evidence-based obesity care is a public health imperative as evidenced by the prevalence, incidence, and treatment-related data as reported in the 2021 version of the Obesity Medicine Association's (OMA) Adult Obesity Algorithm. https://obesitymedicine.org/obesity algorithm Members of the OMA's Board of Trustees (BOT) have identified an overwhelming deficit in education, access to care, and implicit bias as it relates to the diagnosis and management of patients with obesity, which is alignment with OMA's Vision Statement, "People with the disease of obesity are comprehensively diagnosed and treated." Members of the OMA are uniquely poised to realize on this vision statement, as OMA members are physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and other healthcare providers who are experts in the clinical management of obesity. These clinicians follow a pillars-based approach by following the OMA's four core treatment pillars which include the interventions of nutrition, physical activity, behavior, and medication.