At-Home or Direct Mail Plan Available?  Yes

Headquarters

Health Management Resources

59 Temple Place, Suite 704

Boston, MA 02111-1346

617-357-9876 or 1-800-418-1367

Website: www.hmrprogram.com

The HMR modified fasting programs are located in medical facilities throughout the nation. Company headquarters are in Boston. Individual physicians represent only 2-3% of their business.

HMR specializes in the treatment of medically-at-risk obese patients, providing treatment for high-risk obesity, as well as risk factor management for hospitals, managed care facilities, large group practices, medical centers and medical schools. The company was founded in 1979 by Lawrence T.P. Stifler, PhD.

HMR is a healthcare company comprised of physicians, nurses, dietitians and health educators who have established and managed several hundred high-risk obesity programs. The firm directly manages its own programs in hospitals and medical centers, and also provides high-quality meal replacements and educational support services to board-certified or eligible doctors.

The firm claims to have about 400 active programs operating nationwide (up from 200 in 1995)--in hospitals, medical schools, medical centers, and in corporate settings. HMR also markets its services directly to the public, to industry and private employers, and develops health-related educational materials for broader distribution to health facilities and individual consumers.

CEO Dr. Stifler also notes that the amount of time it takes to reach one’s goal weight is getting shorter. It is now averaging 18 weeks for the medically supervised program, before maintenance. The average maintenance time is 12 months. HMR claims to have more maintenance patients than in weight loss--something it has always claimed versus its competitors.

HMR has four  basic programs:

• Medically supervised diet… for people with 30+ lbs. to lose. This is a rapid weight loss plan using meal replacement shakes and HMR food entrees.

• Healthy Solutions… promotes slower, more moderate weight loss, with no medical supervision.

• HMR at Home - weight loss classes by phone

• Meal replacements and materials to be used "on your own".

The ratio of patients for HMR is said to be about 70% using the medically supervised plan vs. 30% using Healthy Solutions.

One of the major developments taking place with HMR over the past five years is the fact that the company now also sells various diet products directly to the public. It advertises a catalog in newspaper ads. The catalog is an impressive and attractive one, with a wide variety of meal replacement shakes, food entrees, and nutrition bars that one can buy to lose weight themselves, without medical supervision

The company now has 8-year data on long-term tracking and follow-up of its clients. Dr. Stifler claims that the average weight loss for clients completing HMR’s weight loss phase is 61 lbs. He also says that 45-50% of those who start the program complete the weight loss phase and go on to the maintenance phase.

Those in the medically supervised program undergo a complete physical exam, weekly checks by a doctor and nurse, biweekly blood chemistries, and an EKG for every 25 pounds of weight lost. The program includes a 520-1,000 calorie-per-day supplemented diet and weekly 1.5 hour educational group sessions where patients learn the relationships between basic nutrition, calorie knowledge, physical activity, and successful long-term weight maintenance. All clients are screened to determine medical eligibility. Used as directed, the shakes provide 150% of the RDA recommendations, and HMR 500 has a high enough potassium level to render additional supple- mentation unnecessary. A 6-18 month maintenance program is strongly recommended.

An alternative plan is offered, for those with less than 40 pounds to lose, who are not medically at risk. Here, dieters may use HMR Shakes and Entrees--totaling 1,000-1,600 calories, without medical supervision.

The company's goal is to teach dieters a calorie balancing system wherein they learn to make their own food choices in conjunction with their individual eating styles. Significant emphasis is also placed on increasing physical activity and self-management of it over the long term.

Now dieters can experience the home-based version of the HMR program offered by over 200 medical centers around the country at a lower cost. Staff from these various programs will provide personal weight-loss coaching over the phone. The HMR At Home program is positioned for those dieters who don’t want to enter a formal program or who live far from a center offering the HMR plan. HMR has trained registered dietitians to conduct the phone support, along with other healthcare professionals.

After an initial six-week "strong start" weight-loss program, additional four-week weight loss cycles are available. You can then join the company’s maintenance program and work with your coach to practice the skills for managing your weight over the long-term.

This is a highly structured program, available nationwide, consisting of an initial orientation call and a 45 minute facilitated group phone call once a week where 10-12 dieters participate by calling in to a central number. HMR clients send in their data by fax, phone or email (i.e. their exercise for the week, consumption of meal replacements, etc.). The group calls involve a discussion of how the clients fared during the past week, goal setting for the next week, assignments, and a question and answer period. Calls are scheduled during the weekday, after work, or on Saturdays.

This program costs $79 for the initial 6-week session and $49 for each 4-week cycle thereafter. The cost of HMR food and supplements averages $86 per week. The HMR food replaces what one would normally spend on grocery store food. Consequently, if a dieter used the HMR At Home plan for 12 weeks, they’d pay about $1,160. If they reach their goal weight sooner than that, obviously one would subtract $86 for each week less. Since the $86 covers ALL food for the week, this cost is not the additional amount one would normally spend for food. If you normally spend $50/week on grocery store food, for example, then the true cost of the HMR plan would be $36/week. Therefore, the true cost of a 12-week program is really less than $1,160.

HMR management reports that they have data (submitted to NAASO – North American Assn. for the Study of Obesity) proving that the amount of weight lost via the HMR At Home program is equal to the regular HMR program – a surprising finding.

Call 1-800-418-1367 for information.

HMR runs a solid weight loss program, with well-trained, quality staff. They have been operating for 26 years and have a very good track record, with clinical research data to prove it. Their modified fasting program ranks in the top two in the nation, according to BestDietForMe.com’s research. We cannot determine whether HMR or Optifast is #1 (based on revenues, number of patients enrolled, or number of sites offering the program) in the nation, and this is a subjective call anyway. Suffice it to say, HMR is one of the leaders in this area. The HMR At Home program provides a good alternative for dieters that don’t have complex medical conditions or large amounts of weight to lose, or who don’t live near a program site, and who want additional phone support. Counselors are high-level professionals.

Approximately 550 hospitals and clinics nationwide are now using a modified fasting VLCD programs.

Hospitals pay for the VLCD supplement product, but they get free staff trainings and program literature. Staff typically used includes dietitians, nurses, ex-patients, and psychologists. These people provide the patient counseling.

Strong recommendations have come from the NIH and others that the diet medications be used only with strictly supervised medical programs that provide behavioral components. There is a high dropout rate when the medications are used alone, and one usually sees only small amounts of weight loss.

BestDietForMe.com estimates that fully 30% and perhaps more of the total patients in a modified fasting program are re-enrollees (clients that were on the program before), rather than new patients. We believe that many people that were on the diet drugs came back to these fasting plans.

The rise in popularity of the diet medications is bringing more dieters into the realm of medically supervised programs. This can only help boost enrollments in VLCD plans, as some will be found to be unsuitable candidates for the medications.

The increase in the number of bariatric surgeries has benefited VLCD programs and the demand for fasting supplements. Many patients are put on the supplement to lose weight PRIOR to the surgery, to make the operation go smoother, and many patients also use the supplement AFTER the surgery, to assist in the long-term weight maintenance phase.

Most VLCD programs have made their programs more flexible, adding "intermediate" level (more moderate) programs, food entrees, nutrition bars, and higher calorie levels.

Insurers are reimbursing more often for the behavior modification/counseling portion of fasting programs, a good sign.

Although liquid protein diets have been available to American consumers since the mid-late 1970s, many of today's competitors did not exist until the early-mid 1980s. For example, OPTIFAST® (Novartis Nutrition) has been around the longest, since 1976 in the United States. Medifast was introduced in 1980 and the HMR program in 1983. Most of the other companies, however, did not appear until much later... Ross Labs' New Direction (now part of Robard) - 1988, Ultrafast – 1987 (now out of business), Baylor Fast (now not operating) – 1985.

Typically, about 70-80% of those on medically monitored fasting programs are women. The average age is 43 years.  Medicare and insurance firms will reimburse patients for the cost of the physical exam and any tests related to obesity conditions, but they generally do NOT reimburse for the supplement formula.

Strictly from a cost/benefit approach, a VLCD program, if successful in maintaining weight loss over the long term, will eliminate future need for ongoing medication, surgeries and other, more costly procedures. Consequently, the VLCD can be viewed as a preventive measure.

Obesity research expert Thomas Wadden pointed out to BestDietForMe.com that VLCD programs are actually more powerful or effective in losing weight than are the diet medications. He says that it’s probably a waste of money for a dieter to use BOTH a VLCD program and the medications. With a VLCD program, one can expect to lose up to 20% of body weight.

A specific diagnosis is always required for a VLCD patient's insurer to reimburse them for part of the total program. The cost of the supplement is not covered (which may represent as much as 50% of the total bill). On average, the VLCD supplement alone accounts for 47% of the total cost of the program, and is not reimbursed by health insurance.

Personnel at various VLCD companies say that the most common diagnoses pertaining to patients include...obesity, Type 2 diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypercholesterol, hypertension, hypertriglycerdemia, degenerative joint disease, hyperglycemia, arthritis, and sleep apnea.