Diabetes is one of the most pervasive and expensive chronic diseases: It affects an estimated 30.3 million people in the United States and costs a staggering $245 billion per year to treat. In addition there are 84.1 million adults in the United States with high blood sugar levels in danger of developing type 2 diabetes. It is widely acknowledged that the most effective method of treating these prediabetics so they don't become full-fledged diabetics is diabetes prevention programs (DPPs) that follow a protocol validated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). But the challenge has been to get people to enroll in them in the first place and stick with them if they do.
Omada Health, a digital therapeutics firm focused on preventing obesity-related chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes, has made significant strides in achieving both with the 120,000 prediabetics who have participated in its program. Its success demonstrates the potential of digital health services, and its approach can serve as a model for applying such services to other chronic diseases. We studied Omada's program as part of our Harvard Medical School initiative to identify and share knowledge about innovative approaches to major health challenges that primary care providers play the lead in treating.
DPPs typically include in-person meetings of a small group of prediabetic adults who, with the guidance of a health coach, progress through a diet and lifestyle curriculum. The course usually consists of weekly sessions during the initial four months. Participants then receive monthly support via check-ins with health coaches for an additional eight months. A number of organizations -- including the YMCA, the American Association of Diabetes Educators, and the Diabetes Prevention and Control Alliance -- provide in-person DPPs at various locations.
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Going forward, federal payment and reform initiatives to encourage screening to identify prediabetics will make it easier for health care providers to refer prediabetic patients to programs such as Omada's. Its DPP provides a model of how digital health interventions can be used to address other conditions in ways that reduce costs, improve patient involvement in their own care, and mitigate the overwhelming burden of chronic diseases in the United States.
Source: Harvard Business Review (View full article)
Posted by Dan Corcoran on November 8, 2017 06:58 AM
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