The results are in: Lifestyle Redesign® heals patients, wallets alike
July 7, 2026

Not only is Lifestyle Redesign® beneficial for patients, it also helps reduce the cost of care. The program has been estimated to save over $250,000 in healthcare costs, as a previously spotlighted study found.

Patients who received Lifestyle Redesign care for diabetes in the study were found to have significant decreases in total emergency department visits and overall hospital days, which accounted for the majority of healthcare cost savings. In an interview with Dr. Steven Fox, MD, the research assistant professor of pharmaceutical and health economics at the USC Mann School of Pharmacy and Schaeffer Center for Health Economics, outlined how providing Lifestyle Redesign to patients with diabetes saves money – and quickly.

“From a health system or health payer perspective, having OT practitioners certified in Lifestyle Redesign makes financial sense because it saves money,” Dr. Fox said. “It does so by helping patients with diabetes improve their health focus, and their health outcomes, reducing how often they need care in the emergency room or hospital.  It does appear to increase their use of primary care services, but those are far less costly than emergency room care and hospitalization.”

According to the CDC, diabetes is the most expensive chronic condition to have in the United States, and one of the most common: estimates show that about 1 in 3 Americans develop diabetes in their lifetime. This leads to an estimated $1 out of every $4 in US healthcare cost being spent on diabetes-related care, a huge expense that Lifestyle Redesign successfully aims to bring down.

Occupational therapy isn’t simply a money-saver, however: it also forms the bedrock of better, more efficient care overall. This is what Dr. David Ho, MD, the Primary Care Adult West medical director at the Los Angeles General Medical Center, explained.

“Lifestyle modifications are the foundation for treating many health conditions, including conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol,” Dr. Ho said.

One of the best ways to get these lifestyle modifications to patients is through occupational therapists. By equipping those therapists with Lifestyle Redesign certification, medical centers greatly enhance their ability to work with patients in a manner that allows them to manage their health conditions more independently. This increases both short-term financial efficiency and long-term health efficacy.

“We all want our patients to enjoy improved health, and better health outcomes, but for patients with diabetes, the trajectory with usual care is too often in the wrong direction,” Dr. Fox said. “Reversing that with effective interventions such as Lifestyle Redesign not only pays dividends in the short term, by averting some expensive acute care, but likely also saves more money later, by delaying or preventing serious, and very costly end-stage events, such as renal failure and severe heart disease.”

In Dr. Ho’s clinic, his team has already taken notice of the Lifestyle Redesign-trained staff they employ – and not just for the sake of their patients’ wallets, but for their quality of care. “Having occupational therapists (OTs) with Lifestyle Redesign certification in our clinic has significantly enhanced our ability to support our patients who have chronic illnesses,” Dr. Ho said. “Patients who have worked with Lifestyle Redesign OTs are more confident in managing their health conditions and have expressed deep gratitude for the support they were provided by OT.”

If someone you know is looking to save money and reduce hospitalizations at their medical center, consider sending them to the Lifestyle Redesign website, where they can learn more about the numerous, research-backed benefits of Lifestyle Redesign occupational therapy.

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