Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Your patient should get a health coach. Here’s why.

Nicole Calloway Rankins, MD
Physician
May 15, 2016
3K Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

We are all familiar with the statistics. Chronic conditions like obesity, hypertension, and diabetes are present in our population at unacceptably high and costly levels. More than 78 million American adults are obese, and more than 1 in 20 is extremely obese. About 70 million U.S. adults have hypertension with only 52 percent having the condition under control. Just over 29 million Americans have diabetes and an additional 86 million have prediabetes. The medical costs of these conditions are staggering – an estimated yearly total of $147 billion for obesity, $42 billion for hypertension, and $245 billion for diabetes. This does not take into account the additional costs of lost productivity, which among obesity, hypertension, and diabetes, are estimated to be greater than $70 billion per year.

One of the successful yet vastly underutilized remedies for all of these conditions is behavior change in the form of dietary and/or activity modifications. The reason behind the lack of success with lifestyle interventions is simple – behavior change is hard. There is however a tool that makes behavior change easier – health coaching. Health coaches have been around for several years, but despite growing evidence of their ability to help people successfully make behavior change, providers are rarely recommending that their patients seek out a health coach. Here is why you should start recommending a health coach to your patients now.

Health coaching works. A 2014 systematic literature review concluded that among adults with chronic diseases, health coaching leads to statistically significant improvements in weight management, physical activity, physical and mental health status. How is this accomplished? Well, a good health coach will take time to get to know a client and his/her goals, and help formulate a plan to help reach those goals. The right coach will guide clients to make well defined, measurable goals, and will keep clients on track by holding them accountable for making forward progress. Health coaching that achieves lasting results uses a personalized approach that fits each individual’s unique life circumstances.

Physicians are not trained to help patients change behavior.  As doctors, we are primarily taught how to diagnose and treat disease. And although we are great at recommending patients lose weight, exercise more, or eat a healthy diet, we typically offer little advice on how to accomplish this beyond join a gym or see a nutritionist. A well-trained health coach is educated regarding behavior change, and uses a science based process to facilitate that change. Right now anyone can say he or she is a health coach, but the National Consortium for Credentialing Health & Wellness Coaches is working to change that. This group, composed of leaders in the health coaching field (including physicians), has set standards for organizations providing health coaching training. Furthermore, the NCCHWC is in the final phases of implementing credentialing standards (a component will be a written examination) for individual health coaches.

Physicians don’t have the time to help patients change behavior. Behavior change takes time. On average more than two months is required to successfully make a behavior change. That is obviously a lot longer than a typical 15 or 20-minute office visit. Health coaching is structured to provide the necessary time to be successful at behavior change. Coaching generally occurs over the course of 5-7 sessions with each session lasting from 30-60 minutes. The majority of physicians do not have a practice structure that accommodates this type of interaction.

When recommending a health coach, know that some insurance companies offer health coaching as a covered benefit, so advise patients to check there first. Most health insurance, however, does not currently cover health coaching, in which case patients can expect to pay anywhere from $45 to $110 or more per session. Given that change takes time, one should expect to have between 5 to 7 sessions. This is clearly a substantial financial investment, but the result of better health is worth it in the end. A more budget friendly option is group health coaching which can be done either online or in person, and also leads to positive results.  One of the great things about health coaching is that it is effectively accomplished via telephone or video chat so patients should know that geographic limitations are not a concern. Counsel patients to look for coaches who offer a free consultation. A good coach/client fit is important in the coaching relationship, and a consultation visit can help provide that insight. Patients also need to ask what training the individual has gone through that makes her or him qualified to be a health coach. The National Consortium for Credentialing Health & Wellness Coaches has a list of approved training organizations.

Is health coaching going to help everyone? Of course not. There is nothing in medicine that benefits everyone universally. However, health coaching is a very useful tool to achieve behavior change and help reduce the burden of chronic conditions like obesity, hypertension, and diabetes. So please start recommending a health coach to your patients today.

Nicole Calloway Rankins is an obstetrician-gynecologist and an integrative health coach. She can be reached at Health and Wellness Coaching by Nicole Calloway Rankins.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

Foreign policy through the lens of an emergency physician

May 15, 2016 Kevin 1
…
Next

How this doctor achieved financial independence at age 39

May 16, 2016 Kevin 3
…

Tagged as: Primary Care

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Foreign policy through the lens of an emergency physician
Next Post >
How this doctor achieved financial independence at age 39

More by Nicole Calloway Rankins, MD

  • The hospital with a high episiotomy rate

    Nicole Calloway Rankins, MD

Related Posts

  • The triad of health care: patient, nurse, physician

    Michele Luckenbaugh
  • Are negative news cycles and social media injurious to our health?

    Rabia Jalal, MD
  • How social media can help or hurt your health care career

    Health eCareers
  • Sharing mental health issues on social media

    Tarena Lofton
  • A universal patient medical record

    Michael R. McGuire
  • A message from a patient to health care workers: Always remember your humanity

    Michele Luckenbaugh

More in Physician

  • The alarming epidemic of physician burnout and how we can combat it

    Tomi Mitchell, MD
  • A retired physician’s battle with moral injury

    Hayward Zwerling, MD
  • Unveiling the secrets to effective resuscitation and overcoming obstacles

    Deepak Gupta, MD
  • A tense family drama unfolds as a young daughter pursues unconventional career path

    Osmund Agbo, MD
  • Decoding the brain’s decision-making: insights for medical professions and strategies for success

    Harvey Castro, MD, MBA
  • Unmasking the truth: the shocking reality of the opioid epidemic and who’s really to blame

    Jay K. Joshi, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Is chaos in health care leading us towards socialized medicine? How physician burnout is a catalyst.

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
    • Revealing America’s expansion: the dark truth of Native American suffering and unjustified abuses

      Anonymous | Physician
    • A physician’s typical day, as envisioned by a non-clinician health care MBA: a satire

      Jennifer Lycette, MD | Physician
    • The rising threat of lung cancer in Asian American female nonsmokers

      Alice S. Y. Lee, MD | Conditions
    • From Moscow Mule to the opioid crisis: Unveiling the tragic legacy and urgent solutions

      Osmund Agbo, MD | Meds
    • The tragic story of Mr. G: a painful journey towards understanding suicide

      William Lynes, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • “Is your surgeon really skilled? The hidden threat to public safety in medicine.

      Gene Uzawa Dorio, MD | Physician
    • Breaking the cycle of racism in health care: a call for anti-racist action

      Tomi Mitchell, MD | Policy
    • Unveiling the hidden damage: the secretive world of medical boards

      Alan Lindemann, MD | Physician
    • An inspiring tribute to an exceptional radiologist who made a lasting impact

      Kim Downey, PT | Conditions
    • The hidden factor in physician burnout: How the climate crisis is contributing to the erosion of well-being

      Elizabeth Cerceo, MD | Physician
    • Proactive risk management: a game-changer in preventing physician burnout

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Empathy and awareness: Unveiling the hidden dangers of food allergies [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The alarming epidemic of physician burnout and how we can combat it

      Tomi Mitchell, MD | Physician
    • A retired physician’s battle with moral injury

      Hayward Zwerling, MD | Physician
    • Unveiling the secrets to effective resuscitation and overcoming obstacles

      Deepak Gupta, MD | Physician
    • Georgia’s new law promoting truth and transparency in health care credentials

      Carmen Kavali, MD | Policy
    • Physician employment contracts: the key to fighting burnout and improving working conditions [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 90 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • FDA Panel Endorses mAb to Prevent RSV in Infants
  • Novel LAA Closure Device 'Promising'
  • Acute GvHD Risk After Allo-HCT Higher With Some Antibiotics vs Others
  • TTFields Therapy Yields OS Improvement in Second-Line NSCLC
  • Mental Health Provider Disclosed Personal Patient Info in Google Reviews

Meeting Coverage

  • Novel LAA Closure Device 'Promising'
  • TTFields Therapy Yields OS Improvement in Second-Line NSCLC
  • Upper Airway Stimulation Device for OSA Holds Up in Real-World Analysis
  • Morning Naps in Elderly People May Reflect Dementia Risk
  • Extra Follow-Up Confirms Benefit of Nivolumab in Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Is chaos in health care leading us towards socialized medicine? How physician burnout is a catalyst.

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
    • Revealing America’s expansion: the dark truth of Native American suffering and unjustified abuses

      Anonymous | Physician
    • A physician’s typical day, as envisioned by a non-clinician health care MBA: a satire

      Jennifer Lycette, MD | Physician
    • The rising threat of lung cancer in Asian American female nonsmokers

      Alice S. Y. Lee, MD | Conditions
    • From Moscow Mule to the opioid crisis: Unveiling the tragic legacy and urgent solutions

      Osmund Agbo, MD | Meds
    • The tragic story of Mr. G: a painful journey towards understanding suicide

      William Lynes, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • “Is your surgeon really skilled? The hidden threat to public safety in medicine.

      Gene Uzawa Dorio, MD | Physician
    • Breaking the cycle of racism in health care: a call for anti-racist action

      Tomi Mitchell, MD | Policy
    • Unveiling the hidden damage: the secretive world of medical boards

      Alan Lindemann, MD | Physician
    • An inspiring tribute to an exceptional radiologist who made a lasting impact

      Kim Downey, PT | Conditions
    • The hidden factor in physician burnout: How the climate crisis is contributing to the erosion of well-being

      Elizabeth Cerceo, MD | Physician
    • Proactive risk management: a game-changer in preventing physician burnout

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Empathy and awareness: Unveiling the hidden dangers of food allergies [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The alarming epidemic of physician burnout and how we can combat it

      Tomi Mitchell, MD | Physician
    • A retired physician’s battle with moral injury

      Hayward Zwerling, MD | Physician
    • Unveiling the secrets to effective resuscitation and overcoming obstacles

      Deepak Gupta, MD | Physician
    • Georgia’s new law promoting truth and transparency in health care credentials

      Carmen Kavali, MD | Policy
    • Physician employment contracts: the key to fighting burnout and improving working conditions [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Your patient should get a health coach. Here’s why.
90 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...