The American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) was founded in 2004 by pioneers who saw the clinical benefit of lifestyle medicine (LM) in practice.
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The College has grown from a few hundred members to more than 5600 in 2020. The growth in membership, as well as the establishment of the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine, have helped legitimize the practice of LM and provided a certification process for LM practitioners to demonstrate competency. However, sustainable reimbursement and financial security have been significant barriers for LM providers to actually practicing LM clinically. In 2019, the ACLM completed a member survey, which revealed that 59% of LM practitioners were not getting reimbursed for their services, and 34% were using multiple reimbursement methods. The current fee-for-service model is dependent on external regulations and value attestation by third parties that are not always aligned with the patient’s needs or the payors (employers and patients) values. 5 |