Hybrid virtual care provider Carbon Health is rolling out a new metabolic health assessment program aimed at finding patients that are at high risk for diabetes. 

The program will use continuous glucose monitoring technology, as well as virtual and in-person care visits in order to assess a patient's risk. If a patient is deemed clinically eligible for the program based on a risk assessment prediabetes test, they will be prescribed a CGM. 

Patients then wear the device for a total of two weeks. During that time, the CGM tech will collect data about their nutrients and lifestyle. After two weeks the patient will meet with a Carbon doctor and make an action plan for care. According to the company’s release, patients can then be referred to the company's endocrinologist-based program Steady Health. 

This news comes just months after Carbon announced its acquisition of diabetes management company Steady Health for an undisclosed sum. Steady brought to the table a program that included an endocrinologist, diabetes couch and platform that was able to synch with users CGM in order to provide actionable insights. 

WHY IT MATTERS 

Diabetes is a common condition in the U.S. According to the CDC, 34.2 million adults in the country have the condition, or 10.5%, of the U.S. population. Prediabetes is even more common. In fact, roughly 88 million adults in the nation have prediabetes, or 34.5% of the total U.S. adult population. 

However, prediabetes can be reversed through various interventions, including diet and exercise, according to the CDC.  

“Despite being a massive health concern in our country, there are numerous roadblocks to diagnosing and caring for diabetes, including the early identification and management of risk through patient engagement with primary care,” said Myoung Cha, chief strategy officer and president of Omnichannel Care at Carbon Health, in a statement.

“We’re launching our Metabolic Health Assessment program to change the way we identify and treat diabetes – it’s critical we intervene early, help individuals learn how to manage their blood sugar levels, and enable primary care physicians to provide long-term, personalized care for every patient.”

THE LARGER TREND 

Carbon Health has quickly been growing. In July, the company announced a $350 million investment round led by Blackstone’s Horizon platform. This new infusion of cash brought the company’s total valuation to over $3.3 billion. 

The company has also been active in the M&A space. In October, it scooped up remote patient monitoring company Alertive Healthcare. It also bought Central Jersey Urgent Care, a chain of 10 brick-and-mortar clinics in the Tri-State region. Earlier in the year, it snapped up two other clinic chains: Southern Arizona Urgent Care clinics and California-based Med7 Urgent Care’s clinics. 

Carbon Health isn’t the only hybrid care provider on the market. One Medical is another large multimodal care provider. In October, the company announced that it was furthering its efforts in the digital chronic care space with the launch of Impact by One Medical, a service which includes access to health coaches, primary care providers, educational content and remote health monitoring tools.