Integracare providers have been helping central Minnesota patients manage their weight for decades.
In 2022, Christine Brown launched Integracare’s Remote Patient Monitoring, a program that combines technology and individualized coaching to help patients manage their weight.
Christi Alvord, APRN, CNP (pictured above on left), and Christine (right) have worked together to expand Christine’s original program and create Integracare’s new “Weight Wellness Journey” program.
What is Integracare’s Weight Wellness Journey?
This program is Integracare’s comprehensive approach to weight management that allows for increased engagement between Integracare staff and patients. When a patient is referred by their provider to the program, they complete blood testing and an initial visit with Christi Alvord.
Depending on the individual needs of the patient, they may have scheduled follow-up visits with just Christi, or also work with Christine for remote patient monitoring.
For remote patient monitoring, patients use an electronic scale that is equipped with a cellular SIM card that automatically transmits information back to Integracare. This allows Christine to communicate and give feedback to patients regularly about their progress.
The Weight Wellness Journey provides patients with the tools they need, but Christi and Christine also pride themselves on offering the understanding and compassion to see the whole picture of each patient’s health.
What does Integracare’s Weight Wellness Journey Help With?
The program highlights six pillars of health: hydration, movement, stress, nutrition, sleep, and hormones.
All of these pillars have an important role in a patient’s weight wellness journey.
Hydration: proper hydration helps with flushing waste and toxins out of the body, and aids cardiovascular health, blood pressure, and more.
Movement: so many benefits, including improving mental health, digestion, and sleep. Also decreases blood pressure, cholesterol, joint pain, stress, and more.
Stress: can cause high cortisol levels, inflammation, high blood pressure, and other health concerns.
Nutrition: helps with gut health, digestion, skin, mental health, joint pain, osteoporosis, and more.
Sleep: Hours and quality of sleep are important because they play a role in the immune system, metabolism, and more.
Hormones: If out of balance, this can affect your health in numerous ways that patients often overlook.
What Food Do Patients Eat as a Part of the Weight Wellness Journey?
An important aspect of long-term weight management is educating patients on how to make healthy choices. Rather than using a meal program, the Integracare program focuses on what nutrients you need to add to your diet.
Patients are educated on being savvy grocery shoppers, which empowers them to select food that can help fill their nutrient gaps and use it to replace less healthy fixtures in their diet.
Is Integracare’s Weight Wellness Journey Covered by Insurance?
As a medical clinic, Integracare is in-network with all major insurance providers. This allows us to offer insurance coverage for our Weight Wellness Journey program.
Insurance coverage for the program will vary depending on your insurance plan. If your insurance will only cover some types of visits in the program, we can adjust to accommodate that.
How Can You Enroll in Integracare’s Weight Wellness Journey?
Talk to your provider at your next visit, or call the clinic at 320-251-2600 to learn more about the Weight Wellness Journey and see if it could be right for you.