Omada Health scale and app review 2024 – May count as step therapy for your GLP-1 prior authorization

Programs such as Omada Health, which include the ability to track your weight, exercise, and food consumption, often count as “step therapy.” That’s important since many insurance providers will not consider covering weight loss medications, such as Zepbound, Wegovy, or Saxenda, if you haven’t first tried to lose weight in other ways. You and your doctor must provide evidence of those previous weight loss attempts in your prior authorization paperwork before your prescription for a weight loss drug will be approved.

Several insurance companies offer the Omada program and a smart scale to their members for free.

When I had the chance to test Omaha Health, I grabbed it so I could report back to you.

This may be an excellent — and possibly free way — to get some step therapy on your medical chart.

About a month ago, I received an email from Omada Health on behalf of my employer’s insurance provider. It explained that I may be eligible to participate in its “health support program,” which helps “members manage weight and create healthier habits with one-on-one personal coaching and the tools needed to make long-lasting health changes.”

The email went on to say that if I (or any covered adult dependents who are enrolled in my insurance program) are at risk for type 2 diabetes or heart disease, we may be eligible for the program — including a smart scale — at no cost.

I already have a Renpho smart scale (and the smart tape measure), but I’m always interested in comparing options. Also, the Omada program, complete with a personal coach, sounded interested so I signed up. Here’s my review of the program and scale.

My experience with Omada Health

I signed up for Omada and received the scale within a week. Then, I set up my profile in the app and had to wait a few days for my program to “start.” That’s because the company puts people into “cohorts” to ensure we’re all reading/listening to the same lessons simultaneously.

In just a month, Omada’s digital smart scale has become my daily weigh-in scale.

I appreciate that my weigh-ins are sent directly to Omada and my Apple Health app, which, in turn, sends them to my Weight Watchers Clinic app.

I also regularly visit the “Medication and Healthy Weight Loss” message board. It helps to talk with others who are on the same journey. Sometimes, someone offers a tip that I just haven’t heard before. And, as anyone on this journey knows, a tiny tweak to your plan or adding a new food or supplement can make a positive difference in outcomes.

While I listen to and read the educational lessons, I can’t say I’ve learned anything new. However, this isn’t my first rodeo. I’ve followed Weight Watchers several times throughout the years. I’ve done Jenny Craig several times. I’ve gone to dieticians and nutritionists. I’ve read all the literature. So, all to say, most of the information at Omada is more of a refresh than brand-new content. However, if this is your first time learning about nutrition and exercise, you may find this aspect of the program especially useful.

The biggest problem with the program is the food tracker, which is just a note-taking space. There is no food lookup that calls up the nutritional values and there’s no barcode scanner to make it easier to log your meals. Therefore, I don’t bother with the food tracker and instead use the one in my Weight Watchers Clinic app.

I also don’t bother with the exercise tracker since I wear a FitBit and capture that data automatically.

However, if you don’t have a better app to track food and exercise and hope to use your participation in Omada as step therapy proof, you should go ahead and use the food and exercise trackers — however flawed they are.

What is Omada Health?

Omada Health is a comprehensive educational and tracker program to help individuals improve their long-term health. It includes one-on-one personal coaching, educational resources, community message boards, food and exercise trackers, and a digital smart scale.

Who is Omada Health for?

Omada Health is for anyone working on a specific health improvement challenge. If you received an invitation from your health insurance provider, the program is likely tailored to your specific needs. The programs focus on:

• weight management
• diabetes prevention
• hypertension treatment and prevention
• treatment of joint/muscle pain

What benefits does Omada Health provide?

Here are a few benefits that Omada Health’s smart scale and app provide for people trying to lose weight:

Personalized feedback and coaching

Omada Health’s scale and app offer a range of benefits to individuals embarking on a weight loss journey. Firstly, the system provides personalized feedback and guidance tailored to the user’s needs and goals, ensuring a customized approach to achieving results.

Easy way to track weight changes

Secondly, the scale and app make it easy to track weight changes, promoting accountability and awareness.

Online community message boards

Additionally, Omada Health’s platform fosters community and support through online interactions with peers and health coaches, creating a conducive environment for motivation and success.

Lessons on a variety of health topics

Lastly, the scale and app offer educational resources and tools to enhance your understanding of nutrition, exercise, and healthy habits, empowering you to make informed choices for long-term weight management.

Omada Health pricing – How much does it cost?

Omada Health, including a free smart scale, online lessons, message board, and coach, costs nothing for some people. Check your eligibility here to see if your employer or insurance provider offers Omada Health for free. The company says the program is a $700 value but it doesn’t disclose how it arrived at that number.

Omada Health alternatives

Weight Watchers — App that tracks your food and water intake, activity, and weight. I especially appreciate the app’s GLP-1 mode, which allows me to focus on protein, fruit and vegetables, and water. A toggle switch lets me view my food choices in the Weight Watchers points system (which I don’t follow). The app includes educational resources, recipes, community groups so I can connect with others on a similar path, coach-ed workshops, and a tab for Weight Watchers Clinic powered by Sequence. This happens to be my provider, so the app is included in my WWC membership. You can use the app for $9.99/month (the first month is often free). Learn more about Weight Watchers.

FitBit — Wearable and app. Tracks your heart rate, steps and exercise, food and water intake, energy burned, sleep, and more. There are a variety of FitBit devices to choose from. I use a FitBit Inspire HR.

Happy Scale — This is another app I use to track my weight loss. I After entering your goals, the app breaks those into milestones and shows your progress and how close you are to achieving the next goal. I especially like the Predictions panel in the Summary tab. It shows the amount of weight I’ve committed to lose weekly, my current rate of loss, and the overall rate. stick to the free version, though the paid option has some neat features if you want the ability to sync the data with other apps. This app is only available for iOS/Apple users. Note: Happy Scale may not count as step therapy since it doesn’t also track your food and water intake or your exercise/steps. Learn more about Happy Scale.

Frequently asked questions

Conclusion – Is Omada Health worth it?

If your insurance company offers a free subscription to Omada Health, grab it! The smart scale is high-quality, and it’s easy to track your weight since it communicates with many apps, including Apple Health. The educational lessons are interesting (although they may be basic for anyone who has lost and gained weight a number of times), and the message boards are a fantastic source of moral support.