PHOENIX, Feb. 10, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Viridian Health Management, a population health management company and Noom, Inc., a mobile preventive health solutions company, recently announced their partnership to launch a multi-platform lifestyle program that will give millions of Americans access to the tools they need to successfully fight the diabetes epidemic. Together, the two companies will offer a unique combination of community-based in-person and virtual mobile-based programs making it possible for the 86 million adults at risk of developing Type-2 diabetes to participate in behavior change programs specifically targeted at diabetes prevention.
Viridian Health Management contracts with employers and health plans to deliver the CDC National Diabetes Prevention Program as a covered healthcare benefit to over 1.4 million individuals through a national network of community partners who implement it in-person at worksites, physician group practices, community organizations and faith-based groups.
Viridian's partnership with Noom, Inc. gives it access to a cutting edge mobile platform, which delivers its own diabetes focused behavior change programs virtually.
"Together Noom and Viridian have the ability to bring guidance, coaching and motivation that targets diabetes prevention to an unprecedented number of people affordably," said Brenda Schmidt, president and CEO of Viridian. "Our joint efforts will leverage our national network of community-based providers and virtual programs to empower individuals to make positive lifestyle changes and improve their health."
Noom currently delivers a weight loss focused behavior change program to 14 million users via its consumer flagship platform Noom Coach. The company's latest offering Noom Health, designed specifically for payers, providers and employers, builds on the highly mature platform of Noom Coach which boasts proven outcomes: an average weight loss of 10 lbs. and 65% retention of users over a four month period.
Noom's mobile health software will be integrated with Viridian's Maestro™ population health management technology platform to support the operational infrastructure of the program including data import and predictive analytics, physician referrals and reporting, proactive program enrollment and a comprehensive data dashboard specifically developed to support community-based and virtual programs as an adjunct to clinical care. Participants will follow a program that includes daily tasks assigned by a trained lifestyle coach, short-form education content, food-logging with specific feedback loops that reinforce low-caloric density food choices, exercise-logging and group social support. The ultimate goal is to drive lasting behavior change for healthier habits. Participants download Noom Health from either Apple's App Store or Google's Play Store and unlock their program through a uniquely identified access code assigned by their healthcare provider.
"Noom Health makes it possible to extend the reach of the in-person program's offered by Viridian Health and their partners beyond the 1.4 million they already serve to include people who can't easily attend a weekly meeting in-person," said Artem Petakov, co-founder of Noom. "By meeting people where they already are, on their smart phones, we are providing unprecedented access to effective tools for diabetes prevention."
Diabetes has reached epidemic proportions:
29 million adults and children—9.3 percent of the U.S. population—have diabetes.1
Approximately one in three U.S. adults over 20 years of age—an estimated 86 million people—have prediabetes, placing them at an increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes.1
More than 1 in 10 health care dollars in the U.S. are spent directly on diabetes and its complications, and more than 1 in 5 health care dollars in the U.S. goes to the care of people with diagnosed diabetes. 1
If the current trend continues, it is estimated that one in three U.S. adults will have diabetes by 2050.2
The average person with diabetes can expect to incur $13,700 in annual medical costs; that's 2.3 times higher than the costs of a person without diabetes.
In 2012, diabetes cost the nation $245B in medical expenses and lost productivity. 1
1American Diabetes Association, Diabetes Statistics, http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/diabetes-statistics/
2 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Successes and Opportunities for Population-Based Prevention and Control: At A Glance 2011, http://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/publications/AAG/ddt.htm
About Viridian Health Management:
Viridian Health Management is a value-driven managed services organization that powers performance in population health by supporting a national network of community-based providers through Viridian's services and technology to effectively deliver evidence-based chronic disease prevention and control programs to patients between clinical encounters.
Viridian Health Management contracts with employers and health plans to deliver the CDC National Diabetes Prevention Program as a covered healthcare benefit to over 1.4 million individuals through a national network of community partners who implement it in-person at worksites, physician group practices, community organizations and faith-based groups. Viridian partners with employers, healthcare partners and communities to engage individuals to make sustainable, healthy behavior changes and improve individual and population health to achieve measurable risk reduction and cost savings. To learn more about Viridian Health Management, visit www.viridianhealth.com.
About Noom:
Noom, Inc. is a mobile solutions company focused on preventative health.
Noom's research-backed products help people achieve real, positive outcomes. Noom was awarded a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and was also recently selected as one of seven healthcare startups chosen to participate in the 2014 New York Digital Health Accelerator (NYDHA).
Noom's apps boast more than 28 million installs worldwide and its flagship app Noom Coach for Android has been the #1 top grossing Health and Fitness App since 2012 in the Google Play Store. Noom has offices in New York City, Berlin, Seoul and Tokyo.