LAS VEGAS — Highmark is teaming up with Noom to roll out its weight management solution to members.
Eligible members can enroll in the program and will receive Noom's services at no cost. Their care journeys can be personalized to meet their individual needs, and generally follow three tracks: weight loss and management, diabetes prevention and management.
Maria Baker, vice president for health strategy and delivery at Highmark, told Fierce Healthcare that the partnership with Noom reflects the insurer's broader commitment to whole-person health, as a holistic weight management program is a logical place to start filling in key gaps in members' experiences.
"The healthcare industry can forever try to make people come to us and think about our language, or we can meet people where they are," she said. "And one of the best ways to do that is to meet people in a language they understand, and through a door that people are always talking about.
"So the weight journey was the most logical place to start," Baker said.
The companies announced the partnership on the show floor at HLTH on Monday morning.
Each of the main buckets for Noom's platform is designed for patients at a different stage in the weight management and diabetes journey. Under Noom Weight, members engage with a digital program designed to encourage lifestyle change with lessons that help them understand the "why" behind certain behaviors.
The Noom Diabetes Prevention Programs arms members with the tools to identify risk factors for diabetes and manage them to avoid progression. Noom Diabetes Lifestyle empowers members who already have Type 2 diabetes to make healthier choices to more effectively manage their condition.
Cody Fair, chief commercial officer for Noom, told Fierce Healthcare that it become clear the two partners were aligned on a central focus of putting the consumer at the center.
"We care very deeply about the member experience, and it was really nice working with Highmark because that was of utmost importance," Fair said.
The teams have been in conversation about a partnership for several years, and Baker said those talks predate the recent boom of interest in GLP-1 medications. Noom's GLP-1 management solution will be available to all members who report that they're taking one of these drugs, and works with their behavior change program for a holistic approach to managing weight.
The partnership also falls within Highmark's broader Living Health strategy, under which the insurer is aiming to build a "digital front door" for members. Tracy Saula, senior vice president and chief product and experience officer at Highmark, told Fierce that the team has focused on finding just one vendor to work with per condition, and is now building out handoffs and pathways between solutions to ensure that holistic care model works.
"We try to pick who we truly love and think is the best, philosophically aligned with our strategy, and then deeply integrate them with each other and with us," she said.