Dive Brief:
- Digital therapeutics startup Omada Health is making the move from prevention to condition management with new programs for type 2 diabetes and hypertension.
- The San Francisco-based company is offering integrated chronic condition management programs for business and health plan customers. It is also offering personalized interventions for people living with or at risk for obesity-related chronic medical problems.
- With the tool, each participant’s experience will be tailored based on five variables: demographic profile, clinical profile, self-identified personal barriers to success, individual actions after being enrolled in the program, and use of a connected glucometer or blood pressure cuff.
Dive Insight:
As the country moves to more risk-based payment models, managing costs of chronic conditions is a high priority for providers and employers — and an opportunity for digital health tools that help engage patients more with their care and well-being.
In a recent Willis Towers Watson survey, 76% of employers said they plan to invest in diabetes support tools and solutions in 2019, in an effort to improve employee health and lower costs. Nearly 85% said managing chronic conditions across their workforce is a priority.
Omada's tech was one of three digital health tools selected by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts for its new software platform, Emerging Solutions. The payer is also offering Livongo for diabetes prevention and management, as well as Ovia Health's tech for fertility and pregnancy coaching.
Several tech giants have also jumped into the diabetes space. Alphabet’s life science unit, Verily, has a joint venture with French pharma company Sanofi called Onduo that is developing diabetes management tools. Another project, Sugar.IQ, combines IBM Watson Health’s artificial intelligence know-how with Medtronic’s diabetes expertise to identify patterns in diabetes data that can help improve a diabetic’s health status and inform actionable steps.
According to the American Diabetes Association, total costs of diabetes in the U.S. hit $327 billion last year, up from $245 billion in 2012. The American Heart Association puts the cost of hypertension at $131 billion a year.