As payers and health systems seek scalable solutions to address obesity, the conversation is shifting from access to accountability. Virtual weight management programs have emerged as a critical tool for expanding reach, but to deliver real value, these programs must prove their value ahead of the competition in an increasingly competitive market. This proof needs to be shown in both ROI and patient and population outcomes.
The obesity epidemic is well documented, but as recent research shows, primary care providers (PCPs) are often unprepared to manage it effectively, citing knowledge gaps, time constraints, and insurance complexity. Virtual care models can help close that gap. Cardiovascular conditions like stroke, hypertension, and diabetes can be life-threatening, and they cost the U.S. healthcare system upwards of $400 billion each year. To improve outcomes through awareness and preventative care, patients need tools that will actually work for their lifestyles.
Rather than overcomplicating health solutions or devices for people with cardiovascular disease, it’s time to prioritize convenience. But to move from promise to proof, stakeholders need confidence in the program’s ability to engage patients, track progress, and generate clinical outcomes, all while demonstrating cost effectiveness. That’s where connected health devices come in.
Device-Enabled Care: Turning Engagement Into Measurement
Virtual obesity programs that integrate smart scales, wearable activity monitors, sleep trackers and cardiovascular monitoring offer a built-in engagement strategy. When patients use connected devices daily or weekly, they’re not just passive recipients of care, they become active participants. This behavioral reinforcement is critical in weight management, where long-term consistency matters more than short-term intensity. Remote patient monitoring devices should be easy enough to obtain and use so that they become part of people’s daily routines, with seamless channels to share data with their doctors as often as needed.
Just as importantly, devices turn subjective anecdotes into objective metrics, to better provide some guidance to the patient to help them understand their own values. Weight, heart rate, activity levels, sleep quality, and even blood pressure can be tracked in real time, generating a continuous flow of data. That data becomes the foundation for personalized care, adaptive coaching, and, most importantly, measurable outcomes. This information should help users understand why it’s important to regularly measure key health metrics to inform lifestyle changes, and when it’s most useful to share that information with their doctors and seek medical attention. It’s the only way to ensure outcomes match the intentions of health innovation.
Aligning With Value-Based Models: Fees at Risk
Payers and employers are increasingly seeking obesity solutions that align with value-based principles. Device-enabled virtual programs make it possible to structure fees-at-risk contracts, where vendors are reimbursed not just for enrollment, but for demonstrated outcomes — whether that’s percentage weight loss, adherence milestones, or metabolic improvements.
Without biometric feedback loops, it’s difficult to track progress objectively or adjust interventions in real time. Devices enable both. They create the accountability infrastructure needed to underpin shared-risk models — ensuring that health plans and vendors are aligned around real-world results, not just utilization.
From Outcomes to ROI
The business case for tackling obesity is clear: sustained weight loss is associated with reductions in type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular events, and even all-cause mortality. But to realize that return, programs must be able to prove impact — both clinically and financially. Despite the proven benefits of obesity treatment, as many as 96% of adults with obesity in the U.S. never receive adequate care and among those starting pharmacotherapy, 80% discontinue within a year. The high cost of GLP-1s underscores why outcomes data matters, not just to prove their impact, but also to help providers and patients decide if changes in treatment may be necessary.
Device-enabled platforms accelerate this by offering immediate visibility into patient-level change and population-level trends. This visibility not only improves care delivery, but also supports robust reporting back to payers, providers, and employers. Metrics like engagement rates, percentage achieving >5% or >10% weight loss, and changes in biometric markers can all be tied directly to contract incentives and downstream cost avoidance. Clear, actionable insights protect both the patient experience and the sustainability of care. Innovation can only deliver on its promise if the data collected drives smarter, more accountable decisions.
A Smarter Standard of Care
The overwhelming majority of Americans (over 90%) have put off getting a check up or recommended health screening on time, signaling the need for RPM options to improve outcomes. Traditional healthcare settings involve barriers like scheduling, stigma, confusion, or cost, which means most patients never fully engage, let alone adhere to obesity treatment.
Clinically, RPM achieves outcomes on par with or better than traditional care: patients experience meaningful weight and BMI reductions, and telehealth weight loss matches that of in-person treatment.
As virtual care matures, so should its standards. Programs that rely solely on self-report or intermittent check-ins risk falling short in both patient outcomes and payer trust. But those that embed connected devices from the start and structure their models around engagement, feedback, and outcome accountability are positioned to lead the next generation of obesity care.
Device-enabled, virtual weight management isn’t just a clinical innovation — it’s a business imperative.
About Antoine Pivron
Antoine Pivron is Vice President of Health Solutions at Withings, where he leads the global B2B division across the U.S. and EU. Since helping launch the Health Solutions division in 2019, he has played a key role in bridging intuitive consumer technology with clinical care to improve health outcomes. Antoine works closely with healthcare organizations worldwide to tailor solutions that enhance patient care, support care teams, and drive sustainable value. His efforts have contributed to onboarding over 1 million patients across 300 partners globally.
