Livongo Health, a consumer digital health company empowering people with chronic conditions to live better and healthier lives, announced today it has acquired Chicago-based Retrofit, a provider of weight-management and disease-prevention programs. The acquisition enables Livongo to more fully address the needs of people at risk for and living with chronic health conditions.
 
"Retrofit has built strong, evidence-based, offerings in weight management and disease prevention and brings a great group of committed people. We're excited to welcome their team into the Livongo family," said Glen Tullman, CEO of Livongo. "For our members, we now have more services that make it easier to prevent individuals from getting sick and, if they do, working with them to return to health and stay healthy. And for our clients, we're now addressing the comprehensive health challenges their employees face, with the goal of caring for each as a whole person."
 
With the acquisition Livongo adds to its client base innovative health plans and Fortune 1000 employers across a variety of industries. The company also gains a proven, evidence-based, Diabetes Prevention Program, enhances its data science capabilities, and boosts expertise in holistic weight management, including nutrition, exercise and mindset. Specifically:
 

• Retrofit Diabetes Prevention is immediately available from Livongo as Livongo DPP powered by Retrofit. The CDC-recognized DPP offering complements Livongo for Diabetes and Livongo for Hypertension.
• Livongo will blend its technology-driven contextual 'nudges' with an expanded nationwide team of health coaches to support members with a wider range of weight-management and nutrition services, such as personal coaching from registered dietitians, exercise physiologists and behavior coaches.
• Livongo's data science capabilities will be enriched by Retrofit's 7+ years of data insights, expert coaches and access to a proprietary lifestyle factor segmentation used to tailor care to individuals' unique needs. The segmentation is based on 30+ years of clinical research and has been in use in clinical practice for more than a decade by nationally renowned obesity expert Dr. Robert Kushner. Dr. Kushner, who is Professor of Medicine at the Northwestern UniversityFeinberg School of Medicine and Director of the Center for Lifestyle Medicine at Northwestern Medicine, is a member of Retrofit's Scientific Advisory Board.

 
Proven outcomes and sustainable results are hallmarks for both companies. Livongo's rapid adoption by employers, health services organizations and pharmacy benefit managers has in large part been based on its industry-leading member satisfaction¹, and proven clinical² and financial³ outcomes. Retrofit's success with employers and health plans has been driven by personalized solutions that deliver high engagement and proven outcomes. Eighty-eight percent of Retrofit clients lose weight and 78 percent maintain that weight loss one year later.
 
"Retrofit and Livongo are like-minded in strategy, values and culture. Together, we will provide a comprehensive set of solutions for the prevention and treatment of chronic conditions that address the whole person," said Mary Pigatti, CEO of Retrofit, Inc., who will join Livongo and continue to oversee Retrofit. "This move strengthens our ability to bring personalized solutions to our clients and members."
 
Currently, 86 million people, or one in three Americans, are living with prediabetes and only 10 percent are even aware that they have the condition. Prediabetes is a serious health condition that increases a person's risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. The good news is that in many cases the condition is reversible with lifestyle changes. According to the CDC, year-long, structured lifestyle change interventions reduced the incidence of diabetes by 58 percent among adults with prediabetes and by 71 percent in those aged 60 years or older.
 
Livongo, which last week announced it raised $105 million in capital, adds Retrofit's 80 employees to its team. The company now employs more than 300 people, with offices in Mountain View, Californiaand Chicago, Illinois.
 
References
¹Livongo NPS from Member Satisfaction Survey, December 31, 2017
²Downing J, Bollyky J, Schneider J. Use of a Connected Glucose Meter and Certified Diabetes Educator Coaching to Decrease the Likelihood of Abnormal Blood Glucose Excursions: The Livongo for Diabetes Program 8 J Med Internet Res 2017;19(7):e234, DOI: 10.2196/jmir.6659
³Presentation at the 77th Annual American Diabetes Association's Scientific Sessions