CDC Recognizes Omada Health’s Prevent for Use in Its Diabetes Prevention Program
San Francisco, CA – For the first time in its history, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recognized digital programs — including Omada Health’sPrevent — as meeting the evidence-based standards for the agency’s National Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP). One of three digital programs to achieve CDC’s pending recognition status, Prevent is the only one to have published year-long data demonstrating weight-loss and blood sugar results that meet or exceed CDC standards. Having pioneered the category of digital therapeutics, Omada Health has now been recognized by the agency that leads federal government efforts on diabetes prevention.
“We’re excited that the CDC has chosen to embrace 21st century tools to fight chronic disease — what they’ve called ‘the public health challenge of the 21st century’,” said Omada CEO Sean Duffy. “Helping people at risk for type 2 diabetes is both a clinical health imperative, and an economic one. CDC recognition is a defining step for Omada Health. This will expand dearly needed programs to a much wider audience, and signals that 2015 is the year that digital therapeutics are embraced by the diabetes prevention community.”
The CDC estimates that one in three American adults — about 87 million people — has prediabetes. If left unchecked, 40 percent of all American adults will, at some point in their lives, be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. In 2012, the cost of diabetes treatment reached $245 billion, including direct medical spending and lost productivity. Over $500 billion of the estimated $3 trillion spent on health care last year was spent on conditions related to three chronic diseases: diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.
Dr. Anne Peters, Director of the USC Diabetes Program, applauded the CDC’s decision to recognize digital programs. “Having worked with the Omada to develop and refine the program, I know the power of Prevent. I’ve long said that doctors should be able to refer to effective Diabetes Prevention Programs with a single click, and health plans should be able to make DPP available to at-risk members, wherever they live. Omada’s Prevent program makes this possible, and the CDC’s recognition further validates Omada’s approach.”
Omada Health’s flagship digital therapeutic Prevent is a clinically-validated, scalable, 16-week program that combines personal health coaching, peer support, and smart technology to help individuals make lifestyle changes that lead to weight loss associated with reduced risk of chronic disease. Rooted in behavioral science, leveraging the social networking power of group dynamics, and featuring world-class design, Prevent is an uniquely engaging and compelling program that can be accessed through a participant’s smartphone, tablet, or computer. Omada Health works directly with U.S.-based health insurance plans, self-insured employers, and risk-bearing health systems to make Prevent available to individuals with prediabetes.
Michelle Foley, a 42-year old Prevent member from California who has used the program since August, echoed Dr. Peters’ sentiments. “Prevent was a fabulous resource to make healthy choices in my life. I was a lifelong dieter — and the best thing about Prevent is that it’s not a diet. Instead, Prevent educates you to make the best choices for your health.”
The CDC’s National Diabetes Prevention Program is an evidence-based lifestyle change initiative to help alleviate diabetes crisis in the United States. The effort is based on an approach that has been shown to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 58 percent. The CDC recognizes programs that adhere to the agency’s design and performance standards.