A new volunteer task force comprised of national experts and thought leaders, and supported by a grant from ACE, will examine what it would take for a significant number of healthcare consumers in the U.S. to be prescribed or incentivized to pursue physical activity-based behavior change interventions. 

 Among the 30+ members of the task force are executives from allied health and health advocacy organizations, senior VP-level leaders at health insurance plan providers, world renowned physicians, the nation’s most sought-after voices on preventive care and more.

 Leading authorities have increasingly recommended that such interventions will reduce healthcare costs, improve health outcomes and make for better patient experiences. The vision of the task force is that behavior interventions, with a strong emphasis on physical activity, be readily accessible, delivered by trusted members of the patient-centered team, reimbursable by payers and integrated into patient records.

 “ACE believes that, in the future, behavior change interventions with a physical activity focus should be delivered by professionals who may not traditionally be thought of as health care providers, in settings that go far beyond clinic walls,” said Cedric X. Bryant, PhD, FACSM and Chief Science Officer for ACE. “ACE is committed to a future in which well-qualified fitness professionals, such as those certified by ACE, are in a position to help vastly more people get and stay moving.”