Priority Health, a nonprofit health plan with 1.3 million members, announced a partnership with Virta Health on Tuesday to offer employers support for weight management and diabetes.
Denver, Colorado-based Virta Health is a digital health company that works with payers and employers and offers nutrition support and medication prescribing if necessary. It creates personalized care plans based on the patient’s medical history, personal goals and risk factors.
Through the new partnership, Priority Health’s employer clients have access to three solutions from Virta Health based on their needs and budgets:
Sustainable Weight Loss, which helps members lose weight through nutrition therapy
Sustainable Weight Loss With Responsible Prescribing, which offers GLP-1s prescribed by a Virta clinician alongside nutrition and lifestyle support
Diabetes Reversal, which leverages nutrition therapy to help members achieve type 2 diabetes remission
All three of these solutions are available to Priority Health’s self-funded employer clients, while fully-funded clients have access to the first two programs.
Priority Health chose Virta Health as partner “because they are leaders in addressing chronic metabolic conditions, and their approach aligns perfectly with our commitment to the well-being and empowerment of our members,” said Alicia Coronas, vice president of employer solutions product and marketing at Priority Health, in an email. “Their personalized nutrition plans, behavioral support, and ongoing medication supervision offer a comprehensive way to tackle weight management and type 2 diabetes remission.”
Data shows that this kind of support is needed. In 2021, 38.4 million Americans, or 11.6% of the population, had diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. In addition, nearly one in three adults are overweight, while two in five adults have obesity, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
GLP-1s are considered an important tool to address this rising prevalence of obesity and diabetes, but come at a high cost. Virta Health Co-Founder and CEO Sami Inkinen previously told MedCity News that the company controls GLP-1 costs by being an “affordable nutrition-first alternative and off-ramp, while our providers can also be responsible prescribers of these drugs to control irresponsible use given our 10+ years of experience doing so via telemedicine.”
Virta Health isn’t the only company offering weight loss and diabetes support, however. Other companies include Livongo, Vida Health and Omada Health. That said, a recent Peterson Health Technology Institute report found that Virta Health was the only company that delivered promising results for diabetes.
In working with Virta Health, Priority ultimately aims “to improve metabolic health in a way that supports long-term wellness for members and cost savings for employers,” Coronas said.
Priority Health’s partnership with Virta Health comes shortly after the insurer announced another vendor partnership earlier this month with Ayble Health for virtual gastrointestinal care.
Photo: mikdam, Getty Images
