Omada Health Launches Prevent for Underserved Populations

Clinical Trial at Three Sites in California and Washington will offer Digital Behavioral Counseling Program to Medicaid and Uninsured Patients with Prediabetes.

San Francisco, CA (Feb. 17, 2016) – Rolling out a version of its flagship Preventprogram specifically designed for underserved populations, Omada Health today announced a clinical trial at three sites in California and Washington State. Partnering with The Wellness Center at LAC+USC Medical Center in Los Angeles, Northeast Valley Health Corporation (NEVHC) in San Fernando; and a Providence Health & Services clinic in Monroe, Washington, Omada will deliver Prevent to individuals who are Medicaid enrolled, Medicaid eligible, or uninsured.

The trial will include up to 300 English and Spanish-language speakers split between the three sites. Clinical outcomes will be tracked over the course of 12 months. Independent evaluators, funded by the California Health Care Foundation and The Kresge Foundation, will monitor program enrollment, participant engagement, and clinically-meaningful outcomes; assess hospital and health system data utilization; and interview provider teams for qualitative feedback. The results of the trial will be published in peer-reviewed literature in 2017.

“This trial is the culmination of more than a year of work by our team,” said Omada Health CoFounder and CEO Sean Duffy. “Omada’s mission is to inspire and enable people everywhere to live free of chronic disease; this is another step in making that mission a reality. Medicaid and uninsured populations live with disproportionate rates of chronic disease; it’s time to bring this type of life-changing intervention to anyone and everyone who needs it.”

Prevent is a digitally-based, year-long intensive behavioral counseling program designed to help individuals reduce their risk of certain conditions like type 2 diabetes and heart disease. The program combines smart technology (including a wireless scale pre-synced to a participant’s account), a proprietary curriculum, around-the-clock access to a personal health coach, and a like-minded online peer network for support. Prevent for underserved populations also includes: 

• Situational and recipe awareness sensitive to food access, neighborhood safety, and economic insecurity;
• Bilingual health coaches and support staff experienced in working with underserved populations; and
• Adapted curriculum for low-level literacy and English as a second language.

Diabetes risk is disproportionately higher in low-income and Medicaid populations. With approximately 11 million Americans across 32 states becoming Medicaid-eligible in the last five years, safety net programs have sought effective, scalable, and evidence-based solutions to address rising rates of obesity-related chronic disease, including diabetes, in relevant populations. A 2015 study published in Diabetes Carerecognized a 23% increase in diabetes diagnoses in states which expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. We believe that digital programs like Prevent can increase access to interventions for those most at-risk for these conditions.

“We are always looking for solutions that increase access to, and quality of, care for the populations that need them the most,” said Amy Compton-Philips, MD, Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer at Providence. “We believe Prevent — and our partnership with Omada — can make a meaningful impact for the populations we serve, and can provide a scalable solution to a condition that plagues Medicaid beneficiaries and the uninsured. We are honored to participate in this clinical trial.”

The Providence Monroe Medical Clinic is a rural clinic serving East Snohomish County for nearly 30 years as part of Providence Health & Systems, the largest healthcare provider in Washington State. NEVHC is one of the nation’s largest Federally Qualified Health Centers, serving more than 65,000 community members annually in the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys. LAC+USC Medical Center is the largest public hospital west of the Mississippi, with over 500,000 outpatient visits per year. LAC+USC’s new Wellness Center has the targeted goal of empowering residents to take control of their own health and wellbeing through prevention services and resources.

In addition to the three clinical trial sites, Omada Health is also currently offeringPrevent for Underserved Populations to Medicaid and uninsured populations through partners Petaluma Health Center and Neighborhood Healthcare.

The clinical trial will be overseen by Omada’s Director of Medical Affairs Cynthia Castro Sweet, PhD, and Omada’s Director of Medicaid and Safety Net Commercial Development, Eliza Gibson, LCSW.