Obesity Care at Scale Will Profoundly Change Health Systems
Think about it. Profound change is coming to healthcare and health systems because of the imperative for obesity care at scale. Right now, we are seeing only a faint glimmer of the changes that lie ahead.
That’s because the biggest struggles with this change are very basic. Lilly and Novo Nordisk are straining to produce enough of their new obesity medicines to meet long-suppressed demand for obesity treatment. Only after these companies and their competitors begin to meet the demand will the full magnitude of change be apparent as it ripples through health systems.
The First Wave
The first wave of change to healthcare is most apparent in primary care and metabolic surgery.
Primary care has been so ill-equipped to provide adequate obesity care that many patient are seeking care in other settings. The most obvious of these is telemedicine. Innovators like Ro, Form Health, and many others are investing in providing credible obesity care. If persons with obesity may feel less stigma in this setting, then this option may be a force for positive change.
Some thought leaders suppose that obesity medicines will suppress the need for metabolic surgery. But this is far from certain, as Chloe Bakst of Advisory Board notes:
“GLP-1s and bariatric surgery don’t have to compete with one other. The boom in demand for weight management methods could actually feed the interest in and demand for bariatric surgery. The key is a comprehensive obesity care program that has multiple entry points and an array of service offerings. Patients who came in seeking a GLP-1 could find they are a better fit for surgery, and vice versa.”
Downstream Effects
The really profound changes will show up later. The implications of outpatient drug therapy that can change health outcomes for a wide range of the most costly chronic diseases will be hard to predict. But we are confident that they will be great. Think about it. We already know that these medicines can reduce the problems people experience with diabetes, heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, kidney disease, liver disease, sleep apnea, and joint disease.
What happens when their adoption reduces the demand on health systems for services to care for those conditions? Lisa Goldstein tells Advisory Board that the effects will be significant:
“It stands to reason that if one drug can change the trajectory of health outcomes, it can change how hospital care is delivered over the long term.”
Presently, health systems are struggling to hold back demand for remarkable new obesity medicines. Their efforts are much like trying to push water uphill with a broom – futile. Sooner or later, these systems will have to adapt to the implications of better obesity care. Systems that do not will lose viability.
Click here, here, and here for more on the implications of innovations in obesity care for healthcare systems.
The Giant Racer, painting by Cyril Power / WikiArt
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September 6, 2024
September 06, 2024 at 7:02 am, Bertrand said:
We can expect and hope that one of the biggest impacts will be to change the food environment, which will have an effect on the entire population.
Less interest in large serving sizes and unhealthy snacks should push manufacturers to offer new products and retailers to change the product mix on shelves.
This would be excellent news for everyone!
September 06, 2024 at 8:01 am, Leah Whigham said:
“Patients who came in seeking a GLP-1 could find they are a better fit for surgery, and vice versa.” Agreed, and to add to that – some patients who have surgery will benefit from GLP-1s to maintain weight loss after surgery, and some patients may be able to use GLP-1s to get down to a weight where they can qualify for surgery. Yes, we need people to have access to ALL options.