Disease Remission in Obesity Programs (DROP)

For each program, weight loss and health outcomes vary depending on multiple factors, such as age, gender, starting weight, attendance and participation, adherence to the diet and lifestyle recommendations, and prescribed medications.

Learn about how much weight you may lose through our different obesity program options:

OPTIFAST^® Program

• Average weight loss of about 18% of your starting weight for individuals who complete the program.
• Translates into a 36-pound weight loss from a starting weight of 200 lbs.
• Based on available evidence, this program produces the most significant weight loss without undergoing metabolic and bariatric surgery.

Partial Meal Replacement Program

• Average weight loss of about 5% to 10% of your starting weight.*
• Weight loss up to 15% of starting weight with the use of an anti-obesity medication.
• Translates into a 9- to 30-pound weight loss from a starting weight of 200 pounds.

Mediterranean Life Program

• Average weight loss of about 3% to 10% of your starting weight.*
• Translates into a 6- to 18-pound weight loss from a starting weight of 200 pounds.

Optimize Program

• Recommended after completion of the OPTIFAST^® and Partial Meal Replacement programs.
• The goal is to help people maintain their weight loss.
• Some people may lose additional weight at a slower pace by following sustainable diet and lifestyle interventions.

*Based on studies of similar programs.

All payments are due before the first class.

Please follow the link associated with your program to enroll and pay via the UPMC Classes platform. See separate instructions under “OPTIFAST.”

OPTIFAST^® Program — $450

Each participant receives:

• 16 group sessions over six months (60 minutes in length except the first session is 90 minutes in length).
• Ongoing support from the registered dietitian with individualized encouragement and feedback from food and exercise logs.

Doesn’t include:

• Medical appointments with your physician or advanced practice provider or laboratory testing, which are billed through insurance.
• The cost of the OPTIFAST^® products, which is $13-16/day depending on OPTIFAST^® prescription.

Payment will be collected from UPMC’s pre-arrival team over the phone about five business days before the start date of your class. Information on product ordering will be sent to each participant one week before the first session. OPTIFAST^® products will be ordered using an online store.

Partial Meal Replacement Program — $250

Participants in the Partial Meal Replacement program receive:

• 12 group sessions over six months (60 minutes in length except the first session, which is 90 minutes in length).
• One 30-minute one-on-one meal planning session between classes one and two.
• Ongoing support from the registered dietitian with individualized encouragement and feedback from food and exercise logs.
• Subscription to Tip-of-the-Week emails, which are sent out every Friday.
• Access to our moderated DROP Support Facebook Page.

Mediterranean Life Program — $250

Participants in the Mediterranean Life program receive:

• 12 group sessions with a registered dietitian over one year (60 minutes in length).
• One group introductory session (90 minutes in length).
• Subscription to Tip-of-the-Week emails, which are sent out every Friday.
• Access to the DROP Mediterranean Life Support Facebook Page.

Optimize Program — $250

Participants in the Optimize program receive:

• 12 group sessions with a registered dietitian over one year (60 minutes in length).
• One 30-minute one-on-one session with a registered dietitian halfway through the program.
• Subscription to Tip-of-the-Week emails, which are sent out every Friday.
• Access to our DROP Mediterranean Life Support Facebook Page.

We can opt to bill your insurance, but would like you to understand the following information before you decide:

• The code used to bill insurance is Group Medical Nutrition Therapy – 97804.
• You will need a referral from your physician for medical nutrition therapy.
• Coverage for therapy will vary based on the medical diagnoses listed on your referral.

If you would like to pursue this option, we encourage you to contact your insurance company to ensure you have coverage and confirm the number of visits or number of hours of coverage your plan allows per year:

• OPTIFAST^® = 16.5 hours
• Partial Meal Replacement = 13 hours
• Mediterranean Life = 13.5 hours
• Optimize = 12.5 hours

You should also confirm that these visits are covered as telemedicine/virtual visits.

In addition:

• Enrollment is only eligible for those who intend to attend the introductory session and all 12 monthly sessions.
• You must be in the state of Pennsylvania with your camera on during all virtual sessions.
• We cannot process any requests for prior authorizations or provide any estimates of co-pays, co-insurance, and/or deductible costs for Medical Nutrition Therapy. If you have any concerns related to this, we encourage you to consider paying the out-of-pocket program fee as you would not receive any additional charges from the group sessions with the dietitian if using this option.

If choosing to bill insurance, please email weaverdd@upmc.edu so you can bypass the payment section on the enrollment page.

For the Mediterranean Life, Partial Meal Replacement, and Optimize programs, you can pay on the UPMC Classes secure website by credit/debit card.

For the OPTIFAST^® program, someone from our pre-arrival team will reach out to you within one week of the start of the program to collect payment over the phone. They will leave a message and attempt to reach you several times if you miss the call.

You may be able to use these accounts to pay for the program and your meal replacement products. You should check with your plan to see if these items qualify. In some cases, you may have to pay out-of-pocket or request reimbursement. We can send you a generic letter of what the program includes if you need to send it to your insurance company for approval.

The programs are recommended to produce the results being cited by the prescribed anti-obesity medication’s clinical research.

Our programs will teach and support you in optimizing your nutrition intake and lifestyle behaviors to help you lose weight and improve your overall health.

To encourage participation and attendance, the content is personalized to the specific needs of the group and the presentations are not recorded.

• Arrange your schedule to attend all classes.
• Contact your group facilitator or program staff at least 24 hours before class if you are unable to attend.
• Missing two classes in a row without advance contact may result in your removal from the program.

OPTIFAST^® Program

With appropriate notice, one lifestyle make-up session in an abbreviated format will be granted (pending dietitian availability).

• If an additional class is missed, you will be expected to review the material on your own and reach out to the dietitian if you have any questions about the material via email or your patient portal.
• An additional check-in may be offered in specific circumstances.

Partial Meal Replacement Program

With appropriate notice, the dietitian may offer 15-minute phone or video check-ins after the first missed class, depending on dietitian availability.

• If an additional class is missed, you'll be expected to review the material on your own and may reach out to the dietitian via email with any clarifying questions. 
• One make-up class can be offered in specific circumstances and based on dietitian and patient availability.  
• One additional check-in may be offered in specific circumstances.

Mediterranean Life and Optimize Programs

With appropriate notice, each participant can switch their session date and time in any given month.

• There are five to six sessions each month that program staff can provide you with as alternate class options. Sometimes classes are full, and those times cannot be offered as make-up sessions.
• Please be aware that classes start the first week of the month, so if you reach out later in the month to reschedule, there may be no remaining sessions.

No. This is up to the discretion of your provider. They may recommend that you join a comprehensive lifestyle program to ensure you have the best outcome with simultaneous use of an anti-obesity medication.

If you feel like you need more guidance from the dietitian outside of what is outlined in the program, you can request a one-on-one visit, which would be billed as medical nutrition therapy (MNT). The dietitian can work with you to ensure you have a referral from your provider and get you scheduled.

However, we encourage you to check with your insurance company to see if you have coverage for diagnosis in the referral. The codes used for billing individual MNT are 97802 and 97803. Please review any additional disclosures about billing insurance.

Partial Meal Replacement and OPTIFAST^® Programs

• We encourage all participants who finish these programs to join the Optimize Program, which consists of monthly visits for one year and a one-on-one session midway through.
• You should continue to follow up with your obesity medicine provider per their recommendations.

Mediterranean Life and Optimize Programs

• You can choose to participate in the program for another year (cost/payment methods would be the same) and/or choose to see the dietitian for quarterly one-on-one visits, which would be billed through insurance.
• For all programs, you will maintain access to the Facebook group and still receive the Tip-of-the-week emails.

Each class is one hour long. The introduction classes are 1.5 hours.

• Each patient starts class with a check-in related to their goal or topic discussed in the previous class. Group and individualized feedback are provided where appropriate.
• Check-in typically takes 15 to 25 minutes, followed by 30 to 40 minutes of program recommendations and the course content, which often features interactive components.
• The final five minutes of the session are reserved for goal setting.

Class size is capped at 10 participants for the Optimize and Mediterranean Life programs, and eight participants for OPTIFAST^® and the Partial Meal Replacement programs.

• We encourage you to keep your video on to enhance engagement with the class leader and fellow participants, helping you get the most out of the course.
• If opting to have the sessions billed through insurance, your video is required to be on during the visits.

We expect everyone in the group to respect one another’s privacy. Your name will be displayed alongside your video during sessions. Discussions of both group and individual nutritional and behavioral recommendations will take place. Although sensitivity is taken, discussions may include reference to relevant medications prescribed or medical conditions.

OPTIFAST^® Program only

Shared medical appointments (SMAs) are group visits with a provider designed to support OPTIFAST^® participants in reaching their weight loss and health goals. These appointments allow patients to meet monthly with their physician and other members of the program, providing a unique combination of medical supervision, group education, and peer support.

Being in a group setting allows participants to share their experiences, challenges, and successes with others who are going through a similar journey. Many patients find motivation and encouragement from hearing how others have overcome obstacles and celebrating achievements.

During these visits, your physician will discuss aspects of your health, which could be affected by your meal replacement regimen and weight loss (for example, adjustment of diabetes or blood pressure medications). All participants are encouraged to respect each other’s privacy and keep discussions confidential.