29 January 2019
Alex Dant
The Omada wellness program, a health program created by the University of Colorado system, has recently relaxed their requirements to apply for the program. One of the most attractive selling points to the program is that it has removed all out-of-pocket costs for members who are at risk of heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.
The Omada project focuses on preventing chronic diseases through healthy lifestyles. According to the CDC, chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes are the leading causes of death and disability in the United States. They are also leading drivers of the nation’s $3.3 trillion in annual health care costs.
Characterized as the “public health challenge of the 21st century” by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Omada project has been implemented to impede chronic disease.
According to the CU Health Plan’s blog on the Omada project, to join the project members must have their application approved and be a part of the CU Health Plan. Once a part of the project, members will have their out of pocket expenses covered.
“When we first launched the program, health plan members who already had Type 2 diabetes were not eligible to join. We were recently able to change that,” said Felicity O’Herron, chief human resources officer and associate vice president of Employee Services, in a Communique article.
The innovative program is the result of science, technology, education and community merging together to formulate a solution to meet the public health challenge in a more modern way.
Some of the benefits that the Omada project include, according to the program description online, are an on-demand access to a personal professional health coach, a wireless scale pre-synced to a password-protected account, an individualized interactive health curriculum, a peer group made up of other participants for motivation and encouragement and a daily personalized action list to help program participants reach their set goals.
The application process for the Omada program involves filling out a basic risk assessment with requirements to indicate height, weight, demographic information and medical history associated with Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
The Omada program attempts to take an innovative approach to limit the influence of chronic conditions like prediabetes, hypertension, Type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol. The program is officially recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and has seen over 11 peer-reviewed papers published about the program and its positive impact on different communities in Colorado and across the United States.
More information, including the assessment to determine eligibility, can be found at Omada Health online.