HabitNu is a digital therapeutic technology company that focuses on preventing and managing chronic diseases by helping individuals build new, healthy habits. HabitNu leverages proven scientific goal-setting research to drive new habit formation for the prevention and management of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and hypertension. HabitNu’s approach is built on SMART goals and data-driven personalized nudges to drive individuals’ thoughts and actions towards healthy behaviors, thus promoting healthy habits that last. Using proprietary algorithms and data captured through each user’s activity, HabitNu personalizes care to prevent chronic diseases. HabitNu delivers behavioral weight loss, diabetes prevention and management, and hypertension management programs through its habit-building platform. Participants go through a structured CDC-developed curriculum with high-touch support from a personal health coach to help them achieve their goals. HabitNu’s diabetes prevention program (DPP) is recognized by the Centers of Disease Control based on its outcome and HabitNu is a CDC-approved umbrella organization that mentors other organizations delivering DPP. HabitNu programs are covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and numerous commercial health plans.
HabitNu’s founder and CEO Dr. Sindhu Rajan is a subject matter expert in obesity and type 2 diabetes. Dr. Rajan spent a major part of her career at Yale and the University of Chicago. During her research career, she has closely observed the personal struggles of individuals to manage their diabetes despite the fact that type 2 diabetes is frequently a preventable or manageable condition by making with small lifestyle changes. In addition, diabetes is personal to Dr. Rajan since it runs in her family. With the right
guidance, making the necessary lifestyle changes is surprisingly easier than people think.
One out of 10 Americans suffers from type-2 diabetes and one out of three is at risk of developing the disease. Also, everyone out of three adults in the USA lives with hypertension. Clinical preventive strategies are available for many chronic diseases but are often not integrated into healthcare systems.
Preventing chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes comes down to developing healthy habits that lead to lifestyle change. The HabitNu program is specifically designed to guide participants through the lifestyle change process; we bend their trajectory away from chronic conditions, and towards healthier habits. HabitNu program follows the science and principles of behavioral economics to nudge people towards healthier lifestyles. HabitNu’s proprietary algorithms deliver personalized care to meet participants where they are, and our technology is extremely scalable to accommodate the millions of individuals that need help.
HabitNu is an innovator in its ideas and services.
TECHNOLOGY: Smartphones are rapidly becoming the central computing, monitoring, and communication platform for deploying personalized wellness mobile apps and services. A major challenge is to develop innovative personalized technologies that can help individuals not just start, but maintain healthy lifestyles by keeping track of and eventually shaping their everyday activities. These become habits over time. A “one-size fits all” approach to healthcare does NOT work in the long run and personalization is essential for high-impact outcomes from digital wellness interventions. This is where Habitnu is innovating every day.
Based on the science of habit formation, HabitNu’s proprietary algorithm and intelligent user profiling gently ‘nudge’ participants from poor habits to positive habits. The data collected form a foundation for machine learning and smart nudges to guide that individual’s unique personal journey; we identify and help them overcome their personal barriers to smarter lifestyle choices. HabitNu’s habit-forming-technology is targeted towards healthy behaviors and ultimately, prevention of chronic disease conditions.
A WHOLE-HEALTH APPROACH: Many technology-based solutions are simply point solutions that address only one disease condition, but many people have multiple, comorbid conditions. HabitNu takes a “whole health” approach to disease management; all HabitNu solutions are available on one comprehensive platform and our partners can address multiple conditions at the same time. HabitNu’s whole health approach to
healthcare empowers people to take charge of their health and well-being and to live their life to the fullest. HabitNu, therefore, provides a significantly ‘bigger bang for the buck’ as providers need only the one solution.
A “HIGH-TECH HIGH-TOUCH” APPROACH: At HabitNu we innovate around a human-centric approach to healthcare. HabitNu programs follow a structured education-based program, and provide personal health coaches and a peer support community to help individuals achieve their goals. Proprietary algorithms and machine learning help scale a high-touch program while enhancing impact and outcomes.
HabitNu delivers its solutions through its own coaches, but we also license the platform to partners. HabitNu works with chain pharmacies like Walmart Health, healthcare systems, payers, and numerous state departments of health. The organizations that work with HabitNu are able to provide high-impact programs to their populations to close a critical gap in their care delivery processes.
HabitNu has delivered its programs to tens of thousands of participants since 2018. The majority of these participants show significant improvement in clinical outcomes such as reduction in body weight, glycated hemoglobin levels, and blood pressure levels. Non-clinical outcomes include building new, healthy habits in the core areas that HabitNu focuses on such as healthy eating, increasing physical activity, and healthy coping. HabitNu is looking forward to enhancing the reach and impact of its behavior-shaping mission as our knowledge and technology continues to grow.
With respect to HabitNu’s future features, Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) is an area that healthcare providers struggle to address. HabitNu’s platform is especially well-suited to address this need, and we will soon formally announce its addition to our platform.
“DROPPING JUST 7-10% OF YOUR WEIGHT CAN CUT YOUR RISK OF DIABETES TYPE 2 IN HALF.”
– CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, USA)
