A one-year pilot program to prevent diabetes has shown positive results, with those enrolled losing an average of 5 pounds after the first 16 weeks, according to study coordinator Intermountain Healthcare of Salt Lake City.
Approximately 200 patients are enrolled in the program, which was designed by Omada Health Inc. of San Francisco and facilitated by the AMA. The hope is that by making prevention as simple and convenient as possible, patients will be more likely to succeed. Each participant received a wireless scale that only required batteries; the scale contains a cellular chip linked to the patient’s profile. When a patient weighs himself, his data is sent to the Omada Health platform to give a baseline weight and a progression benchmark. Patients then only need to log in to the website to meet their health coach and get feedback in real time.
“One of the biggest frustrations for physicians is when we can diagnose a condition that we know has high stakes for the patient, but we don’t have effective tools — whether it’s a medicine or a program or a referral — to help the patient," Dr. Timothy Graham, an endocrinologist, said. "Prediabetes has been lingering in that horrible space for almost a decade, and now we have the ability to connect patients to services that are truly impactful.”
After 16 weeks, patients showed an average 5 percent weight loss. At that point, they began the maintenance phase of the program, continuing to receive individual assistance from health coach and also becoming part of peer-support groups.
