An Overview of the Care Management Institute’s Weight Management and Obesity Initiative

By William Caplan, MD Trina Histon, PhD Helen S Pettay, BA Weight Management and Obesity Initiative Strategic Model, Focus, and Goals As prevalence of overweight and obesity reached epidemic proportions, clinical intervention alone became obviously insufficient to address the problem. In January 2002, the Care Management Institute (CMI) of Kaiser Permanente (KP) launched the Weight Management and Obesity (WMO) Initiative to develop and implement a plan to address this critical public health issue. The strategic model for weight management includes the following five interlocking components: • a research network; • successful practice dissemination; • legislative and public policy; • community partnerships; and • clinical management—the keystone that holds the other four pieces of the model together. This multidimensional, public health approach evolved through the expertise and commitment of a clinical network of stakeholders and experts within and outside KP. Clinical leads included Warren Taylor, MD, KP Northern California; Jonathan Brown, PhD, Center for Health Research, KP Northwest; Scott Gee, MD, KP Northern California; Gary H Wong, MD, KP Southern California; Sasha Stiles, MD, Codirector, Multidisciplinary Weight Management Program, formerly KP Hawaii, currently KP Northern California; and Keith H Bachman, MD, KP Northwest. This clinical advisory group documented the current “KP landscape” in weight management, delivered initial tools and strategies for primary care settings, and began a rigorous evidence review to identify optimal intervention. Under the leadership of William Caplan, MD, and Trina Histon, PhD, of CMI, the initiative also set longerterm goals: to establish prevention and management of overweight and obesity as an organizational priority; to develop metrics to quantify effectiveness; to optimize and standardize program components; to develop evidence-based risk stratification approaches; and to enhance clinician and member skills through tools and education.