Randomized study finds Lifestyle Redesign® occupational therapy generated $250,000 in health care savings for primary care patients with diabetes
July 21, 2026

By Sammy Bovitz

According to a new randomized study of primary care patients with diabetes, patients who received Lifestyle Redesign® occupational therapy generated more than $250,000 in health care cost savings compared to patients who received usual care alone. Researchers compared health care utilization and costs for both groups during the year before and the year after Lifestyle Redesign services began. Those savings were driven by significant decreases in emergency department visits and hospital days among patients who participated in Lifestyle Redesign, compared to those who did not.

The researchers’ cost–benefit projection of integrating a full-time Lifestyle Redesign-certified occupational therapist within a primary care clinic is more than $350,000 — a 236 percent return on investment on the clinician’s salary and benefits. Identifying ways to reduce per capita costs while continuing to deliver high-quality care — and having the research evidence to support those approaches — is an overarching goal across the American health care system.

“From a health system or health payer perspective, having OT practitioners certified in Lifestyle Redesign makes financial sense because it saves money,” said Steven Fox, assistant research professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical and Health Economics at the USC Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. “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.”

Results of the study, led by occupational science doctoral student Valerie Tapia PhD ’27 and a team from the USC Chan Division’s Lifestyle Redesign for Chronic Conditions research lab directed by Associate Professor Beth Pyatak, were recently published in the Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy.

“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,” 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 in the long term by delaying or preventing serious, and very costly, end-stage events such as renal failure and severe heart disease.”

More than a money-saver

Study participants had access to usual care, and those assigned to receive the Lifestyle Redesign intervention were also offered up to eight, one-hour sessions of Lifestyle Redesign. During those face-to-face Lifestyle Redesign sessions, held every 2 to 3 weeks, the occupational therapist and patient worked together through the process of setting client-specific goals, identifying practical strategies to increase autonomy, and reviewing knowledge and skills to better incorporate diabetes self-care activities and healthy lifestyle choices into daily routines.

The study shows occupational therapy is more than a money-saver — it’s the bedrock of more effective and efficient care.

“Lifestyle modifications are the foundation for treating many health conditions, including conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol,” said David Ho, medical director for primary care Adult West at Los Angeles General Medical Center.

While occupational therapists are well positioned for supporting patients to modify lifestyle choices and daily routines, this study shows that Lifestyle Redesign-certified occupational therapists in particular can enhance primary care clinics’ capacity to help patients independently and cost-effectively address their chronic care needs.

Ho says his clinical team knows and appreciates the impact that OTs make on holistic, comprehensive primary care.

“Having occupational therapists with Lifestyle Redesign certifications in our clinic has significantly enhanced our ability to support our patients who have chronic illnesses,” Ho said. “Patients are more confident in managing their health conditions, and have expressed their deep gratitude for the support they were provided by OT.”

Learn more about Lifestyle Redesign certification at chan.usc.edu/lifestyleredesign/certification. “Primary Care Lifestyle Redesign® Clinical Trial: Diabetes Outcomes, Healthcare Utilization, and Costs” was supported by the Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute through the NIH National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (UL1TR001855).

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