What You Should Know:
– Quantum Health, a provider of healthcare navigation and care coordination, has announced the expansion of its Premier Pharmacy platform to offer self-insured employers a new GLP-1 weight management solution.
– The GLP-1 offering, powered by Vida Health, aims to optimize prescribing patterns, improve clinical outcomes, and provide comprehensive member support for weight loss.
Growing Demand for GLP-1 Medications
The need for effective weight management solutions is evident. An August 2024 employer survey by the Business Group on Health revealed that 79% of employers have seen increased interest in weight management medications, including GLP-1s. While 96% of employers cover GLP-1s for diabetes, 67% are expanding coverage to include weight management, raising concerns about long-term cost implications for 96% of employers. Quantum Health’s approach focuses on managing drug utilization patterns to align treatment with individual needs, ensuring the effective and responsible use of these medications.
Vida Health Partnership
Vida Health serves as the provider partner, ensuring members receive evidence-based, clinically appropriate prescriptions. The program emphasizes holistic behavior change and less intensive anti-obesity medications (AOMs) before progressing to GLP-1s. Notably, only 14% of members begin on GLP-1s, compared to the industry average of 40-50% in unmanaged care settings.
Core elements of Quantum Health’s new GLP-1 weight management solution powered by Vida include:
- Navigating member commitment: Providing benefits education and clinical assessments to evaluate readiness for change.
- Provider collaboration: Streamlining the process with precertification of Vida Health as a responsible prescriber.
- Sustainable lifestyle changes: Fostering healthier habits and ensuring therapeutic graduation to holistic lifestyle practices.
“The launch of our GLP-1 weight management solution is the latest example of our commitment to helping our employer clients with improved utilization of these drugs through better management of medication costs while ensuring members receive high-value, appropriate care,” said Dayne Williams, CEO of Quantum Health. “GLP-1s and specialty drugs are a major and growing cost driver for all employers, who are seeing significant increases in employee demand for expanded GLP-1 coverage. Our comprehensive navigation platform uniquely positions us to manage employers’ medical and pharmacy spend, delivering seamless support to meet members’ needs and align outcomes with employer health plan designs.”
