Livongo Health and Voluntis have announced a partnership to offer the Livongo for diabetes programme with Voluntis’ Insulia, an FDA-cleared medical device and app that provides basal insulin dose recommendations for people with type 2 diabetes. Livongo is the leading consumer digital health company focused on empowering people with chronic conditions to live better and healthier lives and Voluntis innovates healthcare by embedding connectivity in therapeutics and medical intelligence in software. With this alliance, Livongo and Voluntis will create an expanded solution that aims to improve medication adherence and optimization by offering better information personalized to Livongo members.

The Livongo for diabetes programme is a proven approach to diabetes management that includes a cellular-enabled blood glucose meter that provides personal insights driven by data science, unlimited checking supplies for members, and 24×7 coaching based on actual real-time blood sugar and patient information. Insulia, which is prescribed by the member’s healthcare provider, delivers automated basal insulin dose recommendations and educational coaching messages to people with diabetes through a smartphone app. The combination of these solutions will provide better information leading to medication optimization for Livongo members. Livongo Certified Diabetes Educators will be able to leverage additional information collected from Insulia to further optimize their recommendations and insights to make diabetes management easier for people with type 2 diabetes and their providers.

About 95 per cent of people with diabetes have type 2 diabetes, a chronic condition that is characterized by high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and relative lack of insulin. While lifestyle plays an important role in type 2 diabetes, managing the chronic condition is more complex than just weight loss and nutrition. For those who have been prescribed insulin, studies have indicated that less than 50 per cent of patients achieve the glycemic goals recommended by the American Diabetes Association. Studies also show that people trying to better control their blood sugar are likely to benefit from insulin dosing algorithms, which could make starting on insulin and getting to the optimal dose a much faster and smoother process.

Medication optimization is important because suboptimal medication use can lead to poor health outcomes and medication is a large cost driver of diabetes, the most expensive healthcare condition in the US. Improving medication adherence through the use of insulin dosing algorithms and personalized coaching can offer better health outcomes and cost savings for consumers, payers, and providers.

“We know that the three pillars of diabetes management are nutrition, exercise, and medication,” said Dr. Jennifer Schneider, chief medical officer of Livongo. “But having the right information on how to manage is also critical.  By integrating with Insulia, we can give members with type 2 diabetes additional insight and tips for medication optimization – making managing diabetes easier.”

“We are pleased to be bringing Insulia to Livongo members,” said Romain Marmot, chief operations officer of Voluntis. “Livongo’s mission to empower patients through technology is in perfect accord with our own. We hope that by combining Insulia companion software with Livongo’s diabetes program we can further empower  people living with type 2 diabetes.”

The Livongo for diabetes programme is available through a growing number of the country’s most progressive self-insured employers, leading Fortune 500 companies, health plans, and health systems with tens of thousands of people with diabetes enrolled today. Voluntis will launch Insulia throughout the United States in 2017.