8 Must-Haves Before Launching a Virtual Weight Loss Program

Medical weight loss programs are gaining popularity, but why is that? Well, it’s no secret that the obesity rate has skyrocketed, going from 13.4% in the 1980s and jumping to nearly 42% in 2017-2020. Plus, research has shown that carrying excess weight increases the risk of serious health conditions. 

From fad diets to yoyo dieting culture, patients are tired of ineffective, short term weight loss solutions. Instead, people are looking to science-backed weight loss treatment to help them safely lose weight. As a result, an influx of medical weight loss programs and companies have entered the market in order to meet patient demand.

However, when it comes to building a weight loss program or company, there are key components that must be met to meet compliance, safety and efficacy standards. To start you off on the right track, we’ll reveal the eight must-haves that every company should incorporate in their medical weight loss go-to-market plan.

1. 50-state provider network

One of the greatest perks of a virtual weight loss program is being able to reach people nationwide. However, one of the biggest challenges is hiring the providers to serve your clients.

From a cost perspective, you don’t want to hire too many providers if the demand isn’t there. Yet, you also don’t want to hire too few and find yourself unable to meet patient needs. Plus, we can’t forget the daunting and time-consuming processes associated with credentialing and licensing. Getting down to the brass tax, you won’t get to 50 states overnight. You’re going to want to scale in stages and allocate your resources based on demand for services. 

Fortunately, there’s another way to expand your clinician network without breaking the bank or sacrificing quality. OpenLoop has an extensive network of credentialed providers (e.g., MDs, NPs, CMAs, RNs, etc.) licensed in all 50 states, allowing you to scale your program fast and seamlessly. 

2. 50-state friendly PC 

Organizations offering virtual weight loss programs must establish clear legal structures. One way to do that is by creating a corporate entity, like a Professional Corporation (PC). Friendly PC models ensure that medical companies remain under the control of licensed professionals and align with state-specific CPOM requirements. Additionally, when it comes to payer coverage, insurers like Medicare and Medicaid often require a domestic PC in order to receive reimbursement for services rendered.

The “friendly” relationship between PCs and MSOs is an essential partnership to achieve compliant, multi-state clinical care.

3. Marketing channels 

Let’s face it: not everyone who’s looking to lose weight will be a great fit for your medical weight loss program. Therefore, before you launch, get clear on your target market and establish the marketing channels you’ll use to reach them. Organic traffic, digital advertisements, billboards, influencer marketing and social media are all examples of marketing channels. Once you know who your audience is, identify the channels they frequent—these will be the channels you’ll want to focus on.

4. Digital front door and back door

Is your digital front door up to par? In other words, are you providing an easy-to-use patient portal and technology that allows your patients to access and interact with healthcare providers in the way they prefer? Touchpoints like your website and intake channels should optimize the patient journey. 

You don’t want to overlook your organization’s digital back door either. These are the technological processes companies use following a healthcare encounter, like providing patient education and sending appointment or refill reminders. Additionally, it’s important to utilize platforms with robust API integrations to help your organization deliver a more customized brand experience. 

5. Payment processor systems

Protecting patient information is paramount in healthcare, so it’s essential to use compliant payment processors. Consider obtaining the LegitScript Healthcare Merchant Certification, which ensures that businesses comply with applicable laws and regulations. Telehealth providers without it could have their bank accounts, social media platforms, websites and more suspended. 

To better serve our clients, OpenLoop has maintained our own LegitScript certification for years, ensuring regulatory compliance across merchant platforms.

6. Streamlined medication channels

In addition to educating patients on eating healthy and incorporating physical fitness, your virtual weight loss program may also include prescribing GLP-1 medications. Due to shortages in pharmacy supplies, these weight-loss drugs are often challenging for patients to obtain. The solution? Many virtual weight loss companies are turning to compounded GLP-1s to catch up with demand. 

To help address this problem in our own network, OpenLoop partners with licensed pharmacies nationwide to provide compounded and branded medication at a large scale. This ensures your  patients have consistent access to quality medications even as supply shifts. 

7. Non-clinical support 

The clinical aspect of your virtual weight loss program is important, but so are the operations occurring behind the scenes. Administrative and customer service tasks, like tackling logistical issues and addressing non-clinical patient concerns, can affect quality of care, patient satisfaction and overall business efficiency. This is especially true if your providers spend more time doing administrative work than direct patient care. 

Invest in a strong patient support team to handle any billing or account issues and utilize AI technology to tackle any non-clinical customer concerns or reminders. 

At OpenLoop, we’re streamlining our own operations with an AI-powered clinical assistant. Saving our clinicians time on administrative tasks like appointment scheduling, charting, SOAP notes and spending more time with patients. Our clients can also tap into our front-facing, automated patient messaging and phone front line support.

8. Non-clinical guidance

Research shows that health coaching is an effective approach to weight loss in obese adults, so it's crucial to have this as a program component. OpenLoop offers Care Coaching, where coaches collaborate with providers to reinforce positive lifestyle practices, exercise and dietary changes so patients adopt healthy habits. This level of support can increase effectiveness and adherence, leading to better patient outcomes. 

Leverage OpenLoop to launch and scale your weight loss program 

The future of healthcare involves telemedicine solutions, and these 8 must-haves are crucial to building a successful weight loss program, positive patient experience and consumer loyalty.

At OpenLoop, we’ve helped organizations just like yours successfully build and scale their virtual weight loss programs utilizing our suite of services and industry experts. Our nationwide provider, pharmacy and PC networks paired with robust API integrations and intuitive technology make launching and managing a virtual weight loss program seamless. 

Interested in learning more? Contact us today!