What we see across the portfolio.
These are observations from the live programs FiMCo operates today in Puerto Rico. They are not journal findings. They are what 19,888 souls, 8 programs and 3 million boxes have surfaced about how food behaves as medicine.
| Program | Condition | Audience | Metric | Observation | N | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medicare Advantage Healthy Box · PR | General prevention · 65+ | Medicare Advantage members (PR) | Member satisfaction | Member satisfaction averaging 4.9 / 5.0 across operations · 96% positive ratings | Continuous survey program | Internal operations review |
| Medicare Advantage Healthy Box · PR | Operational quality · SLA | Medicare Advantage members (PR) | Delivery success rate | Delivery success rate 99%+ · sub-1% call-center abandonment in best months | Continuous logistics monitoring | Internal operations review |
| Medicare Advantage Healthy Box · PR | Program adoption | Eligible Medicare Advantage population | Eligible base growth | Eligible base growing year-over-year as the program expands across the island | Eligibility registry | Internal operations review |
| PR Medicare Food is Medicine · independent evaluation | Member satisfaction (food-benefit ever-users) | Medicare Advantage members 65–75 in Puerto Rico | Satisfaction with the food benefit | 93% satisfied · 84% find ordering easy | 300 adults 65–75 · face-to-face interviews (2023) | The Research Office · Product Evaluation Study |
| PR Medicare Food is Medicine · independent evaluation | Plan retention impact | Medicare Advantage members 65–75 in Puerto Rico | Inclination to remain enrolled in current MA plan | 95% inclination to remain enrolled with the MA plan offering the benefit · 95% intent to order box again | 300 adults 65–75 · face-to-face interviews (2023) | The Research Office · Product Evaluation Study |
| PR Medicare Food is Medicine · independent evaluation | Cross-plan switching demand | MA members 65–75 in plans without the benefit | Switching intent toward a plan offering the food benefit | 17% most inclined to switch · 62% 'definitely' or 'probably' inclined to switch for the benefit | Competitive base · 300-member study (2023) | The Research Office · Product Evaluation Study |
| PR Medicare Food is Medicine · independent evaluation | Brand and innovation perception | Medicare Advantage members surveyed (PR 65–75) | Health-plan brand impact | 73% say the benefit improves their plan's image · 72% agree the offering plan is 'the most innovative MA plan in the market' · 70% believe the box will impact their health | 300 adults 65–75 | The Research Office · Product Evaluation Study |
| PR Medicare market · macro signals | Macro health-behavior shifts | Medicare Advantage members 65–75 in PR | Self-reported nutrition behavior | 79% eating more fruits and vegetables · 85% cooking healthier · 83% cooking at home more · 47% extremely / very concerned about finding healthy food | 300-member panel (margin ±6%) | The Research Office · Product Evaluation Study |
| GUSNIP · Fresh Access PR | Nutrition incentive redemption | NAP participants (PR) | Redemption rate | 100% redemption (NTAE-confirmed); exceeded national benchmark | FIP cohort | NTAE evaluation |
| GUSNIP · Fresh Access PR | Demand signal | PR NAP-eligible households | Demand vs supply | Demand structurally exceeded federal incentive supply; viral press uptake confirmed pent-up demand within hours of announcement | Program-level observation | FIP operational data |
| Fresenius CKD | Chronic Kidney Disease (pre-dialysis) | Renal patients | Program rating | 85% of pilot participants rated the program Excellent or Good · clinical signals (GFR · Albumin) consistent with improved nutrition | Pilot cohort | Clinical observations · Fresenius Kidney Care Advocates |
| Adopta un Viejo | Vulnerable elders · prevention | Adults 65+ in PR | Programmatic continuity | Sustained islandwide bi-weekly food-box delivery to vulnerable elders | Active enrollment | Fundación MMM · operated by FiMCo |
| COVID-19 Response | Disaster · food insecurity | PR residents during pandemic | Operational scale | 3,000,000 boxes delivered islandwide | Public emergency operations | PR Government emergency contract |
Human stories
Every observation in this table maps to a person. Patient narratives are available under consent, including the renal patient whose dialysis cannula regression was observed during sustained low-K adherence with the Fresenius box.
Tufts DUA
The Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy holds an active Data Use Agreement with FiMCo for outcomes evaluation in GUSNIP/PPR cohorts. Publications in preparation.
Want the raw data?
Credentialed researchers, foundations and federal program officers can request access under our standard DUA.
Request accessMapped to the framework everyone already uses.
The Food is Medicine field organizes evaluation around three stakeholders: person & household, health system, and health plan. Here is what FiMCo measures against each, so our observations land in the language partners report in.
Person & household
Patient-reported and clinical outcomes that gauge impact at the person and household level.
- Food & nutrition securityFiMCo: SDoH screening at intake
- Diet quality / F&V intakeFiMCo: Self-reported behavior shift (79% eating more F&V)
- Cardiometabolic markers (HbA1c, BP)FiMCo: Tracked where biometrics are available
- Quality of life & self-efficacyFiMCo: Post-delivery satisfaction (4.9/5)
Health system
Care-delivery efficiency, provider effects, and program fidelity.
- Healthcare utilization (ED, admissions)FiMCo: Observed in high-risk cohorts
- Screening & referral completion ratesFiMCo: EMR-referral workflow in production
- Program fidelity & redemptionFiMCo: 100% GUSNIP redemption (NTAE)
- Delivery reliability (SLA)FiMCo: 99%+ delivery success rate
Health plan (HEDIS)
Plan-level measures aligned to HEDIS and Star Ratings benchmarks.
- HbA1c control (<7% / <8%)FiMCo: Comprehensive Diabetes Care alignment
- Blood-pressure control (<140/90)FiMCo: Cardiovascular measure alignment
- Medication adherence (PDC ≥80%)FiMCo: Care-coordination support
- Member retention & CAHPSFiMCo: 95% plan-retention intent (evaluation)
Measure taxonomy follows the canonical FIM field model (Tufts Food is Medicine Institute · Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy · U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) · American Heart Association (AHA) · CMS Innovation Center (CMMI)). FiMCo holds an active Data Use Agreement with the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy for outcomes evaluation on the Nutrisana GUSNIP cohort. The framework on this site is one we work inside, not just cite.