CoxHealth and Journeys Metabolic partner to tackle metabolic disease

CoxHealth and Journeys Metabolic announced today a new partnership to help individuals optimize their metabolic health via a new digital metabolic health program.

Journeys Metabolic, a Saint Louis-based health care-tech company, has developed a proprietary, four-month, app-based program that supports the prevention and reversal of metabolic disease for people who are looking to achieve long-term lifestyle modification.

In the early stages of the partnership, qualifying CoxHealth employees (and their qualifying 18+ dependents) will have access to the 4-month program.

“Helping people take control of their metabolic health is an essential part of prevention and population health,” says Dr. Julia Flax, Chief Population Health officer at CoxHealth. “The Journeys Metabolic program is an exciting, innovative intervention that we believe will help CoxHealth achieve our population health goals, and we are eager to offer this opportunity to our colleagues.”

Physician-developed and leveraging the latest clinical research in insulin-resistance, mitochondrial dysfunction and fat oxidation, the Journeys Metabolic program includes daily prescriptive personalized educational content, computer vision of food for habit creation, and a proprietary handheld biomarker device for individuals to track their body’s response to new habits.

While the partnership is beginning with an employee group, CoxHealth and Journeys Metabolic plan to expand efforts to other at-risk CoxHealth populations later this year.

“CoxHealth is one of the most progressive health systems in the Midwest, and we are thrilled to partner with leadership that understands insulin resistance-related impact -- and the downstream effects it can have on clinical outcomes at scale,” says Jim Howard, CEO of Journeys Metabolic.

During his time as an undergraduate at Drury University in the 1980s, Howard (a 30+ years health tech executive) met Steve Edwards, former CEO of CoxHealth. The two have remained friends, and solving the metabolic crisis in Missouri continued to be a source of dialogue and brainstorming over the years. As CoxHealth’s Population Health team became more focused on metabolic health as the root cause of so many other chronic diseases, the idea of a partnership was born.

The digital program has already helped 3,000 patients to lose weight (average 8% weight loss reduction) and manage their blood sugar (17% A1C reduction) in the initial primary care version.

“Our long-term goal is to reverse and prevent metabolic disease for large populations. Ultimately we want to strategically reverse the trend of metabolic disease in Southwest Missouri,” Howard says.

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About CoxHealth

CoxHealth is a locally owned not-for-profit health system, operating six hospitals, five ERs and more than 80 clinics. The system has more than 13,500 employees throughout southwest Missouri. CoxHealth is also Missouri’s first hospital system accredited by DNV Healthcare for quality and patient safety. For more information, visit www.coxhealth.com

Contact:

CoxHealth

CorporateCommunications@coxhealth.com

About Journeys Metabolic

Journeys Metabolic is a value-based care leader that helps reverse and prevent metabolic disease for pre-diabetic and diabetic populations at scale. Designed to augment existing primary care and support optimal outcomes, the app-based, clinically directed, interoperable program empowers patients to modify behavior and navigate root-causes of metabolic disease in only four months. Journeys Metabolic is a trusted partner for health systems and value-based organizations focused on transforming their metabolic health outcomes and achieving a fee-for-outcomes reality. For more information, visit journeysmetabolic.com

Contact:

Journeys Metabolic:

media@journeysmetabolic.com