This story was originally posted on March 23rd, 2020
As a leader in the delivery of lifestyle change programs, HabitNu is publishing its standards for remote delivery of the in-person National Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP). Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provided guidance to HabitNu and all recognized Diabetes Prevention Recognized Program (DPRP) suppliers that virtual session delivery of the National DPP is encouraged during the Covid-19 pandemic crisis. Based on the growing stay-at-home directives by state and local governments, delivering the National DPP virtually has become essential to the prediabetes populations that are at-risk for type 2 diabetes.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has broadened access to Medicare telehealth services. Following the CMS lead, HabitNu is focusing on the remote delivery of the National DPP, and, if approved by CMS, the Medicare MDPP. As a CDC recognized DPRP supplier, HabitNu has been delivering the in-person, online, and combination delivery modalities of the National DPP since 2017. Over the past week, HabitNu has shifted all in-person sessions to virtual delivery on its delivery platform to maintain the progress of preventing type 2 diabetes for participants.
HabitNu has worked through the process of replicating the distinct elements that make the in-person delivery of the National DPP lifestyle change program successful. Remote delivery needs to go beyond weekly webinar curriculum sessions, collecting weekly attendance, weight, and physical activity data by keeping participants active and motivated between sessions with integrated digital engagement tools.
HabitNu’s HIPAA-compliant remote delivery platform includes an easy-to-use HabitNu APP that contains tools for webinars and conference calls, tracking weight, physical activity, food logs and a secure portal for seamless communication. HabitNu’s coach dashboard aggregates data from the participant’s digital scale and activity tracker along with food and exercise logs. The communication tracking tools deliver actionable insights to help coaches monitor the progress of their cohort and keep them on track toward their “personalized action plan” goals.
HabitNu is now publishing its remote delivery standards that will include the following.
1. Telehealth Sessions: HabitNu replicates in-person meetings using their telehealth delivery solutions. Meetings continue without interruption via their HIPAA compliant webinar feature that can be accessed from any online device. A dial-in feature is available for prediabetes participants who lack sufficient bandwidth, allowing them to fully participate in every meeting.
2. Data Management: Includes private and secure collection of personal health data. Lifestyle Coaches can also collect weekly activity minutes from the participants’ activity logs. HabitNu provides all participants with access to the HabitNu APP, which includes digital scales and activity tracker integration to transmit weight and physical activity data via wireless transmission.
3. Food Logs: Participants are required to keep a food log and Lifestyle Coaches can review this information to individualize goal-setting and feedback. To facilitate easy logging of meals for nutrition analysis, the HabitNu APP is equipped with a food diary containing an extensive food database that has been curated by trained nutritionists.
4. Ongoing Communication: The HabitNu HIPAA compliant secure chat portal and private messaging encourage participants to stay in touch with their Lifestyle Coaches and each other. This community structure has contributed to high retention rates in the HabitNu National DPP programs.
5. Lifestyle Coach Workforce: HabitNu has established a recruiting, training, and support system for a workforce of high competency Lifestyle Coaches for remote delivery of the National DPP. This workforce provides quality assurance for National DPP remote delivery.
HabitNu remote delivery is a combination of webinars and digital tools to help participants stay engaged and achieve the required outcomes of 5-9% weight loss. HabitNu is offering remote delivery of the National DPP to DPRP in-person organizations that may be seeking more than webinar communication tools to help their members stay active and healthy in the comfort of their homes. For more information please visit www.habitnu.com.