Humana rolls out virtual diabetes program for Kentucky Medicaid patients

Digital health startup Vida Health struck its first partnership with a Medicaid plan. Humana will offer Vida’s virtual diabetes management program to its Medicaid members in Kentucky starting next year.

In Kentucky, roughly 13.7% of adults report having diabetes, above the U.S. average of 10.9%.

“Historically, the U.S. healthcare industry has not focused enough on innovation that supports underserved populations,” Veeneta Lakhani, Vida’s senior vice president of health services, said in a news release. “Vida is proud to partner with Humana to provide a mobile-first solution for the Kentucky Medicaid population.”

Vida’s programs offer access to health coaches and licensed therapists. It also has an app that users can link with a connected scale, glucometer and fitness tracker.

Eligible members will be able to access group coaching through Vida and in-app peer support groups.  Since many conditions occur together, users can also receive support for other chronic conditions, such as hypertension or anxiety.

The San Francisco-based startup was founded in 2014, and has raised more than $78 million to date. In April, it raised $25 million in a funding round led by Ally Bridge Group, as demand for virtual care surged in the early months of the pandemic.

While Vida started offering its programs to self-insured employers, the startup and its competitors in the busy chronic disease management space have been making inroads with insurers and managed care plans. For example, Intermountain Health recently made Omada’s diabetes prevention program available to at-risk patients, and Livongo is broadening its reach through its merger with Teladoc, including their first joint contract signed with GuideWell Health.

The original article can be found at: MedCity News