{"id":20756,"date":"2016-11-18T18:14:18","date_gmt":"2016-11-18T23:14:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digital.hbs.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/omada-health-a-leader-in-the-digital-health-revolution\/"},"modified":"2016-11-18T18:19:58","modified_gmt":"2016-11-18T23:19:58","slug":"omada-health-a-leader-in-the-digital-health-revolution","status":"publish","type":"hck-submission","link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/omada-health-a-leader-in-the-digital-health-revolution\/","title":{"rendered":"Omada Health: A Leader in the Digital Health Revolution"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Nearly everyone has interfaced with the healthcare system. Though our normal lives are punctuated by periodic clinic visits, our fundamental health needs do not vanish between appointments.<\/p>\n

This is especially true for individuals with illnesses that require behavioral modification and health maintenance efforts. Because healthcare professionals are not present at all times, the onus of ongoing health efforts traditionally has fallen on the patient\u2013 a very individual and lonesome task. With that in mind, combined with the expansion of digital healthcare efforts, many entrepreneurs and companies have seen the value in remotely connecting patients to healthcare professionals and also to each other. Omada Health<\/strong> is one such excellent effort.<\/p>\n

Context<\/u><\/strong>:<\/p>\n

Currently, chronic disease affects nearly 3 out of 4 adults, and is responsible for more deaths than infectious disease [1]. The management of these conditions also accounts for more than 85% of health care costs in the United States [2].<\/p>\n

Diabetes is a prime example for further understanding this. The condition affects 9.5% of the population, with an additional 32% \u201cprediabetic\u201d patients, who have significant risk of progressing to diabetes. [2] Worse yet, this disease has staggering economic consequences \u2013 employers pay approximately $4,500 more per year for diabetic patients due to lost productivity and higher medical costs. [2]<\/p>\n

While diabetes itself can be treated with a combination of pharmacologic and behavioral interventions, patients diagnosed with prediabetes also benefit from specially tailored programs. According to the Diabetes Prevention Program study (a randomized control study of prediabetic patients across 27 US clinical centers), patients who lost a modest amount of weight through dietary and lifestyle changes reduced their chances of developing diabetes by 58%; those randomized to only taking medication (metformin), also experienced a reduced risk of progression, but by only 31% [3].<\/p>\n

What this data shows is that for prediabetic patients, lifestyle and dietary changes may be superior to pharmacologic intervention only [3]. Furthermore, this data demonstrates a significant opportunity and need for focusing on preventative measures.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s exactly where Omada Health fits in.<\/p>\n

What is Omada Health and how is it disrupting healthcare?<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

As stated on its website, Omada Health \u201c[helps] employers and health plans tackle chronic disease in the most engaging, effective, and scalable way possible.\u201d [1] It is a digital therapeutic, or \u201ctechnology-based [solution] that [has] clinical impact on disease comparable to that of a drug.\u201d [3] It works by centering around 4 core principles: 1) starting with science, 2) deepening with adaptive design, 3) empowering people, and 4) insisting on outcomes. [1]<\/p>\n

For patients, Omada offers a 16-week, online behavioral intervention program that focuses on 4 dimensions: eating habits, stress reduction, activity levels, and sleep [1, 2]. Through accountability on the platform, support within an online community of patients, and tools and insights provided by Omada Health\u2019s experts and a personal coach, patients are empowered and reminded to prioritize their health and track their progress. Omada analyzes the amassed individual data to report successes and areas for improvement, which also gets used to uniquely tailor the digital experience to the particular individual over the course of the program. This involves more specific personal coaching as well as narrowing the online social community to connect patients with similar areas of improvement. [1]<\/p>\n

Patients are not the only ones who benefit, though — corporations also derive significant value. Omada not only helps recoup the costs of lost productivity and increased medical care, but it actually contracts on a performance-based payment structure to demonstrate explicit return on investment. This clearly shows that Omada believes in the science that informed its existence, and that outcomes fuel their fire [1].<\/p>\n

Current Successes and Ways Forward<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Since its inception, Omada\u2019s operating model has been mission-driven, but now it has become evidence-based. An independent academic study demonstrated that seniors at risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease who used the platform achieved statistically significant weight loss, disease risk reduction, and meaningful medical cost savings [5, 6]. Because of these results and other trends, \u201cMedicare [has begun] reimbursing CDC-recognized providers like Omada Health for administering the Diabetes Prevention Program to eligible beneficiaries\u201d [7]. This represents a significant success and potential for expansion to new providers.<\/p>\n

But beyond that, I would recommend that Omada pursue two potential future strategic shifts:<\/p>\n