By: Katelyn Bush
A Cost Conundrum
We’ve all seen the headlines about diabetes treatments flying off pharmacy shelves. “Demand for Weight Loss Drug is Through the Roof," reads one. “New Medication May Take a Bite Out of Junk Food Sales,” warns another. Almost overnight, brands like Ozempic and WeGovy have become household names, thanks in part to extensive media coverage and celebrity endorsements. Yet, as Tom Boyd of Zealic Health tells The Granite List, this boom in sales has had plenty of unwanted side effects— not just for the economy at large, but for providers and their patients. “Right now, there are many people who are clamoring to their providers to write prescriptions for Ozempic and other medications which were originally designed to treat patients with diabetes,” Boyd explains. “All of these targeted drugs... also facilitate weight loss, in significant amounts. Consequently, diabetic patients who rely on this medication to continue their safe journey through the disease are finding it extremely difficult to procure the life-changing drug.”
With no end in sight to these shortages, it’s more important than ever for companies in the healthcare sector to deploy solutions that keep every stakeholder in the know— from the patient receiving medication to the plan sponsor facilitating their health journey. That’s where Zealic Health, a leader in healthcare technology, comes in.
A Transformative Solution
Take the Ozempic crisis above as an example: Zealic technology not only streamlines diabetic patients’ journey to securing treatment, but also provides educational resources to ensure they take the appropriate steps to manage their symptoms. At the same time, Zealic informs non-diabetic patients of the risks associated with taking drugs like Ozempic exclusively for weight loss. Boyd continues, “Our technology can tell [patients] that, while they may see some good short-term results, in the long run, they need to consider the fact that they will need to continue taking the medication for the rest of their lives to ensure their weight does not increase.” What’s more, Zealic offers a host of resources for guiding non-diabetic patients toward healthier living choices and sustainable weight loss— no Ozempic required. It’s a win-win for everyone: Patients receive only the medications they need, while their providers see higher engagement rates and better health outcomes.
But the benefits of Zealic technology go far beyond improving access to diabetes medication. In today’s technology-driven world, it’s easy for employers in the self-insured sector to become overwhelmed by data and overlook areas for improvement. Zealic tackles this “paralysis by analysis” by facilitating easy access to data analytics, ensuring all stakeholders have the information they need to help patients thrive at home and on the job. “Picture a hub and spoke scenario, where the spokes are all of the various stakeholders in the self-insured industry,” says Boyd. “The technology hub that... facilitates these participants and their needs is Zealic Health. Our robust and comprehensive AI-powered tools create custom apps, portals, websites, webinars, integrations with other apps/databases...faster, easier, and more affordably than anyone has ever seen and all of it under the Zealic Health umbrella.”
Ensuring a Better Healthcare Experience— for Everyone
The Zealic difference, Boyd says, comes from its decades of cumulative experience in the healthcare technology sector. In contrast to generic software development solutions, Zealic’s expertise in this highly complex field allows them to customize technology according to each company’s unique patient population. No “one size fits all” solutions here— with Zealic, every patient enjoys a personalized, all-encompassing healthcare experience that brings relevant information to their fingertips. “Our solution is very intuitive to use, and patients love the mobile capabilities as well as the personalized nature of it,” Boyd explains. “They also love the fact that we enable them to access all other apps through our technology so they only have to use one tool.” Crucially, this approach doesn’t just make life easier for patients; it impacts every stakeholder in healthcare— namely, employers. Boyd continues: “Healthy employees are more productive and so that will benefit the employer immediately, with hard dollars as well as a great employee retention and recruiting resource.”
But perhaps the biggest “Zealic difference” lies in its mission statement for revolutionizing patient engagement. As its name implies, Zealic Health shares businesses’ single-minded drive to ensure happier patients and families. This “zeal” for improving health outcomes, Tom concludes, is what makes Zealic a leader in healthcare technology solutions. “Our technology tools work because they were developed by our team of experts, who have a really deep history of helping patients, employers, providers and all stakeholders to have a wonderful experience. We are Zealous in everything we do, and it shows.”
We are proud to feature Zealic Health on the Granite List.