Lark Health names a new Chief Growth Officer to scale GLP-1 cost containment and care offerings

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., April 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- As employers, payers and PBMs struggle to curb the budget pressures that GLP-1 medication demand has inflicted upon the healthcare industry, Lark Health has brought on a new Chief Growth Officer, Darren Eckberg, to lead Lark's national expansion of its AI-guided, GLP-1 cost containment technology. Lark Health is a leading provider of weight management and cardiometabolic care for employers and health plans— serving nearly 2.5 million patients and more than 2000 employers. This expansion is a natural evolution for Lark's infinitely scalable, tech-first care programs.

Eckberg brings over 20 years of experience working at PBMs and healthcare organizations— having held executive roles at IngenioRx/Anthem, EnvisionRx/Rite Aid, Prime Therapeutics and Express Scripts.

"I'm honored to be joining the Lark team and am thrilled to help millions of Americans struggling with a chronic condition. As one of the pioneers in AI health tech, Lark's spirit for innovation is complemented by a dedication to clinical excellence and being a responsible partner for our clients. The impacts of GLP-1 medications affect the entire healthcare system and a thoughtfully designed end-to-end offering can benefit everyone from the individual member struggling with obesity to the employer struggling with the skyrocketing GLP-1 costs," says Eckberg.

Lark's current GLP-1 offerings include comprehensive services designed to achieve a 77% reduction in GLP-1 costs, while simultaneously optimizing population health outcomes.

Healthy Weight: Delivers personalized, virtual lifestyle coaching for members as an alternative or prerequisite to GLP-1s that helps build lasting lifestyle change, leading to improvements in weight, activity, and associated diseases.

GLP-1 Companion: Offers unlimited patient support for eligible members on GLP-1s while encouraging medication success with coaching on medication adherence, side effect mitigation and monitoring, and lifestyle modification.

Weight Maintenance: Supports participants who have achieved their clinical outcomes and are looking to maintain weight loss long-term, as well as those weaning off of a GLP-1 medication.

Clinician-Guided Step Therapy: Provides qualified members with access to end-to-end clinician-guided management, telehealth visits with remote patient monitoring, prescription management, insurance navigation, prior authorization obtainment and more.

"We are so proud to have an executive of Darren's caliber help us drive towards our mission, which is to provide infinitely scalable, compassionate care to anyone in need. GLP-1s are an incredible tool in this toolbox, but it has to be affordable and targeted to the right populations who need the help most. As a tech and AI-centric company, we are proud that our technology is being used to bend the drug cost utilization curve at scale," says CEO and Co-Founder, Julia Hu.

About Lark Health‍
Lark's mission is to provide infinitely scalable, personalized care for those struggling with or at high risk of chronic conditions by using technology, data science, and behavior change principles. Lark's platform, driven by conversational A.I. and connected devices, has treated over 2.5 million patients, making Lark one of the largest health plan-centric weight loss and prediabetes providers in the country. Lark works with health plans and over 2000 employers to manage more than eight programs: Healthy Weight, GLP-1 Companion, Clinician-Guided Step Therapy, Prevention (Stress and Anxiety Management), Heart Health, Diabetes Prevention, Diabetes Management, and Hypertension Management. Lark's Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), the fastest-growing and lowest-cost DPP, has received Full Recognition from the CDC. The company has received numerous accolades, including having been named as one of CB Insights Digital Health 150 (2019), a finalist for the UCSF Digital Health Awards (2022), multiple recognitions as one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies, and one of Fierce Healthcare's Fierce 15 (2020). To learn more, visit lark.com.

CONTACT: Andrew Norris, [email protected]

SOURCE Lark Health