Prescribe FIT Connects Patients and Physicians Virtually to Deliver Lifestyle Health
Most of us know that a healthy lifestyle—anchored by regular exercise and the appropriate diet—is critical to preventing and caring for chronic conditions like high blood pressure or Type 2 diabetes.
But knowing and doing can be two different things. It is hard to change behavior—even when we know we should.
Now there is a new approach from Prescribe FIT, a virtual health and lifestyle coaching startup. Prescribe FIT provides 100 percent virtual end-to-end solutions—from real-time health data monitoring to lifestyle services—focused on improving chronic conditions. It’s a team approach delivered via easy-to-use mobile technology that engages, monitors, and supports.
“Our solution connects patients and physicians and is guided by a care coordinator health coach who is paired one-on-one with a patient,” said Brock Leonti, Prescribe FIT CEO. “It is consistent care in the patient’s pocket.”
How It Works
“To get started,” Leonti said, “the physician and patient put together a care plan including therapeutic goals, and the physician writes a prescription. Typical solutions focus on weight, as that is an indicator of so many conditions. The patient downloads the Prescribe FIT application to a smart device, and we send them a Bluetooth-enabled scale.”
Instead of being handed a generalized list of healthy food options and a suggested diet, the plan is customized to the patient with Prescribe FIT. Exercise and nutritional guidance and activities are provided routinely through the Prescribe FIT app.
Ongoing interactive communication between the patient, provider, and health coach, plus consistent tracking and monitoring, reinforces healthy behavior, and provides information that contributes to more specific care.
“Every day, you step on the Bluetooth scale, and the weight translates to which topics to focus on, whether it is in nutrition or motivation. It is convenient, and people begin to understand they can restructure how they think of healthy activity. We give patients the tools to grow more beneficial in a comfortable way, but still very intentional,” said Leonti.
“Patients need support and accountability. Connection with their care coordinator provides that,” he said. said. “The physician has supervisory responsibility. We collect information through the hardware, software, and conversations between the patient and the care coordinator. The physician gets health and biometric data daily to see how patents are doing and help make decisions.”
Tools for Lifestyle Health Deliver More Efficient and Effective Care to Patients with Chronic Conditions
The prevalence of overweight and obesity (more than one-third of the U.S. population has obesity or is overweight) is understood to increase the occurrence of chronic conditions. Conversely, improving lifestyle health leads to lower risks.
Monthly, patients receive a dozen personalized workouts plus nutrition guidance and educational modules.
It is simple and convenient for physicians and healthcare providers to add Prescribe FIT to their practices to treat patients with chronic conditions. Prescribe FIT says that practices can begin enrolling qualified patients in as few as 72 hours. Onboarding can be virtual or in-person.
Prescribe FIT can help patients with chronic conditions get motivated and unstuck. The application engages patients in their care while real-time data, with attention from the care coordinator, helps the physician proactively identify issues and respond promptly. This helps build better relationships with the patient and improves diagnostic ability.
Plus, the Prescribe FIT’s remote patient monitoring can qualify for reimbursements from Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance.
Next Steps
“We are learning and putting together additional use cases,” Leonti said. “We are making sure we satisfy the needs of our users. We want them to tell us what they need, not have us not dictate what we think they need.”
Prescribe FIT is adding positions. “We want to find the best talent,” he said. “That means people who have empathy, drive, and passion for what we are building. We transform a lifestyle. When our subscribers tell us they were previously not able to do ‘x’ and now they can, that’s what really what this is all about.”
