Evidence-based weight care program Found today announced that Kyu Rhee, MD, MPP, former Aetna Chief Medical Officer at CVS Health, has joined its Medical Advisory Board. A purpose-driven physician executive, primary care doctor, and public health advocate, Dr. Rhee has spent over two decades in the nonprofit, public, and private healthcare sectors, including past leadership roles with IBM, HRSA and NIH.
Dr. Rhee will work closely with Found’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Rekha Kumar, as well as the company’s current Medical Advisory Board members Dr. Judith Korner, Dr. Larry Cheskin, Dr. Shebani Sethi Dalai and Dr. Shawn Cole in strengthening Found’s position at the forefront of clinical obesity care. He will also be instrumental as Found expands access to its evidence-based, integrated weight management platform through partnerships with employers and health plans.
Classified as a chronic disease almost a decade ago, obesity is the second leading cause of preventable death, after smoking. More than 40% of Americans have obesity, putting them at risk for other chronic diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, stroke and many forms of cancer. As a public health issue, obesity is more serious than the deadly opioid epidemic, and contributes to $173B in annual U.S. healthcare costs.
Despite a growing threat, improving the standard of care for obesity faces challenges. Up to 90% of
U.S. physicians have an implicit or explicit bias towards those with excess weight. Most medical schools do not teach obesity as a disease or offer any coursework on it. And despite a new generation of medications and treatments proven to help manage weight, health plans have been slow to cover obesity treatment, despite the Affordable Care Act’s obesity care coverage mandate.
“Biology, psychology, and social determinants are all key contributors to our current and growing obesity crisis,” said Dr. Rhee. “In today’s environment, we also know that every company is a health care company, and employers and health plans play a pivotal role in supporting the health of their workforces. Found’s clinical protocols and platforms consider all of these factors in delivering a comprehensive and personalized approach to weight care. I’m excited to work with Dr. Kumar and other members of the Found Advisory Board and management team to advance the company’s offerings with employer partners as a step toward making evidence-based obesity care more accessible and affordable.”
Dr. Rhee was most recently Senior Vice President and Aetna Chief Medical Officer at CVS Health. Prior to that, he was Chief Health Officer at IBM for a decade. Before IBM, Dr. Rhee was Chief Public Health Officer at the Health Resources and Services Administration, the primary federal agency for improving access to health care services for people who are uninsured, isolated, or medically vulnerable. Dr. Rhee also previously served as director of the Office of Innovation and Program Coordination at the National Institutes of Health, the primary federal agency for medical research. Prior to his public service, Dr. Rhee practiced as a primary care physician for the National Health Service Corps and Chief Medical Officer in community health settings in Washington, DC, and Baltimore.
“Forward-thinking health plans and employers understand that they can prevent a range of chronic diseases and their associated cost if they offer coverage for evidence-based obesity care, inclusive of medication when appropriate,” said Sarah Jones Simmer, CEO, Found. “We have received a great deal of inbound interest from employers and health plans concerned about the downstream impact of obesity on their populations, as well as the rapidly increasing cost burden associated with inappropriate and ineffective GLP-1 utilization. We have long known that to truly expand access to clinically superior obesity care, we would need to partner with payors. We’re thrilled to welcome Dr. Rhee to our team and look forward to his guidance and collaboration.”
About Found:
Found is an evidence-based weight care solution that combines the best of modern medicine with lasting behavior change, access to personalized coaching and a supportive community. Centered around clinical care, Found provides its members with a comprehensive weight loss program that delivers long term, sustainable results. Found designs personalized treatments around every factor that makes people unique, including biology, medical history, mental health, existent lifestyle, goals and more. Found’s members are supported by a team that includes providers to prescribe safe medication, and the best of consumer technology to provide behavioral health interventions delivered through our app for guidance on nutrition, movement, sleep and emotional health. Found is one of the largest medically-assisted weight loss clinics in the country, serving more than 200,000 Americans to-date. For more information, visit www.joinfound.com.
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