9amHealth and Instacart Partner to Help Employers Expand Access to Healthy Foods, Improve Health Outcomes, and Reduce Care Costs

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Sep 26, 2024, 09:00 ET

Companies report early success, with a 161% increase in member enrollment and a 57% boost in engagement in programs that offer grocery stipends through Instacart

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- 9amHealth, the leading virtual cardiometabolic care solution, and Instacart (NASDAQ: CART), the leading grocery technology company in North America, today announced a partnership that integrates Instacart Health Fresh Funds stipends for nutritious food into 9amHealth's diabetes, weight, and heart health programs. The partnership aims to address the root causes of health problems like diabetes and obesity by expanding access to nutritious foods using Instacart's platform. Incentivizing healthy eating with actionable dietary guidance and convenient food delivery supports a preventive approach and can reduce the need for more costly treatments like the increasingly popular GLP-1 drugs. Additionally, actionable dietary guidance and convenient food delivery support lasting behavior changes, improving health outcomes and reducing overall care costs.

"Nutrition is a critical part of our whole health approach to care. Many widely available processed foods can be high in sugar, salt, and fat, making it challenging to identify the best foods to live a healthy life," says Paul Geevarghese, COO and Co-Founder of 9amHealth. "Providing our members access to weight loss medications when appropriate, including generic options and GLP-1s, should not be the only tool. Medications, nutritious foods, and dietary guidance are fundamental to our care approach. Our partnership with Instacart offers convenient access to nutritious food, supporting each person's unique health journey through adopting healthy habits."

As part of 9amHealth's care plans, members can access a team of specialists, including dietitians, who curate meal plans and provide education based on each member's health conditions. Members then use a digital Fresh Funds stipend, funded by employers and health plans, to purchase their prescribed foods from local grocers on Instacart.

Since the Instacart partnership launched, 9amHealth has seen a 161% increase in enrollment and a 57% rise in overall member engagement (measured by chat messages and video calls with the Care Team) compared to programs not utilizing Instacart Health Fresh Funds.

Eating nutrient-rich foods like vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and Omega-3-rich fats is a key part of staying healthy and living longer. Yet, only 9% of American adults meet daily vegetable intake recommendations, and just 12% meet fruit intake guidelines. A general review of studies has shown that food-based health programs that include groceries drive higher adoption and adherence rates and can improve health outcomes, with studies showing that healthier diets help prevent and manage cardiometabolic conditions. Unhealthy diets contribute nearly 20% of U.S. healthcare costs from heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, costing $50 billion annually. According to this cost analysis, adopting healthy diets and long-term behavioral changes can help significantly reduce these costs.

"Nutrition is fundamental to health, and through Instacart, we're providing people with easy, affordable access to nutritious foods," said Sarah Mastrorocco, Vice President and General Manager of Health at Instacart. "We commend 9amHealth for recognizing the powerful role of nutritious food and convenient delivery in engaging members and encouraging the adoption of lasting dietary and behavioral changes that support overall health, whether as part of a lifestyle shift or to complement medications like GLP-1s."

To learn more about 9amHealth and the company's integration with Instacart, visit https://9am.link/Instacart-fresh-fund.

About 9amHealth
9amHealth offers complete cardiometabolic care—a first-of-its-kind, whole-body approach to preventing and treating diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol, and hypertension. They partner with employers, health plans, and PBMs to provide effective health benefits for those living with chronic conditions. Their members receive personalized care plans, prescription delivery, at-home lab tests, and unlimited specialist access. 9amHealth was founded in 2021 by the team behind mySugr and is backed by 7Wire Ventures, Human Capital, Founders Fund, and Define Ventures. More at www.join9am.com.

About Instacart
Instacart, the leading grocery technology company in North America, works with grocers and retailers to transform how people shop. The company partners with more than 1,500 national, regional, and local retail banners to facilitate online shopping, delivery and pickup services from more than 85,000 stores across North America on the Instacart Marketplace. Instacart makes it possible for millions of people to get the groceries they need from the retailers they love, and for approximately 600,000 Instacart shoppers to earn by picking, packing and delivering orders on their own flexible schedule. The Instacart Platform offers retailers a suite of enterprise-grade technology products and services to power their e-commerce experiences, fulfill orders, digitize brick-and-mortar stores, provide advertising services, and glean insights. With Instacart Ads, thousands of CPG brands – from category leaders to emerging brands – partner with the company to connect directly with consumers online, right at the point of purchase. With Instacart Health, the company is providing tools to increase nutrition security, make healthy choices easier for consumers, and expand the role that food can play in improving health outcomes. For more information, visit www.instacart.com/company, and to start shopping, visit www.instacart.com.

SOURCE 9amHealth