During a featured session at Becker’s 15th Annual Meeting, Jennifer Jones, clinical strategist at Noom Health, urged healthcare leaders to move beyond cost containment and consider how lifestyle interventions — particularly those incorporating GLP-1 medications — can transform clinical and economic outcomes.
Here are three key takeaways from the session:
1. The GLP-1 care gap: A costly oversight
According to the latest data from the CDC, the U.S. obesity rate has climbed to over 42%, with 70% of adults considered overweight or obese.
Jones shared that GLP-1 medications can lead to 10% to 20% weight loss. However, despite rising access and popularity, there is a disconnect between medication use and long-term population health outcomes. In her view, this disconnect stems largely from a lack of education around nutrition and a misunderstanding of how GLP-1s can deliver results when prescribed and administered effectively.
This creates what she calls a “GLP-1 care gap,” with 50% of patients discontinuing the medication within 12 weeks.
“They may receive one-time guidance,” Ms. Jones said. “There’s no thorough education. What’s most important when we think about the ideal state is, we’re really focusing on the key lifestyle and behavior changes that need to occur with the medication in order to be successful.”
2. The path to sustainable success
Jones presented a managed model that integrates GLP-1 use with ongoing lifestyle coaching, clinical monitoring and tapering strategies. The four-step approach includes:
- Individualized care plans and education
- Access to health coaches and peer support
- Emphasis on muscle maintenance through protein intake and resistance training
- Behavior tracking, including cognitive tools like “green-yellow-orange” food heuristics to simplify decisions
When followed, Noom research shows a 1.4-times increase in weight loss and 1.6-times higher medication tapering rates when behavior change is paired with GLP-1s.
3. Proactivity is the key to success
A key differentiator in Noom’s approach is a structured maintenance phase. Rather than stopping the medication abruptly, the platform gradually tapers use over nine to 16 weeks with continued coaching and clinical oversight.
“We monitor for weight changes and reinitiate therapy if needed,” Ms.Jones said. “This is not, see you, you are on your own.”
Jones emphasized that successful obesity care must mirror personalized primary care models. Noom’s GLP-1 companion platform includes AI-powered food logging, education tailored to a sixth-grade reading level and data integration with health plans and providers.
Understanding individual factors that influence a patient’s weight loss journey should be just as central as the prescription itself, she said.
“Much like healthcare in general, this needs to be personalized,” Ms.Jones said. “Medication is fantastic and it’s certainly been a game changer as we think about the treatment of obesity but let’s take the effectiveness of these medications and pair it with effective behavior change that can ultimately drive what we’re looking for — healthier members, healthier plans and healthier bottom lines.”
