Ascension Saint Thomas, PathPoint partner on metabolic health

Photo: Kseniya Ovchinnikova/Getty Images

Tennessee-based health system Ascension Saint Thomas is entering into a joint venture with PathPoint Health, a metabolic care provider, to help individuals prevent and manage metabolic conditions, including diabetes and obesity.

The partnership’s first two centers will open in June 2025 in Nashville and Murfreesboro, offering medical care, exercise and nutritional planning, lifestyle counseling, advanced diagnostic assessments and care coordination.

Services will be provided through a hybrid model of in-person and virtual visits, covered by insurance, at one specialty practice.

WHAT’S THE IMPACT

Metabolic health challenges affect a significant portion of the U.S. population, with internal data showing more than 42% of adults classified as obese, approximately 11% diagnosed with diabetes, and another one-third living with prediabetes.

Despite these numbers, the organizations said many still view chronic conditions as isolated health concerns, rather than interconnected issues that share underlying risk factors.

PathPoint’s approach emphasizes collaboration with a patient’s existing primary care and specialty providers, with the goal of facilitating a smoother integration into the patient’s overall healthcare plan.

That, in turn, will lead to improved outcomes through consistent management and personalized treatment strategies, the companies said.

The first two centers will be located near Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital Midtown and Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford and will open in June 2025. Additional sites are planned across Middle Tennessee over the next 12 to 36 months.

“Obesity and complex chronic conditions require a comprehensive approach to care,” said Fahad Tahir, president and CEO of Ascension Saint Thomas. “With PathPoint Health, we’re building an integrated approach – coordinating primary and specialty care to create a comprehensive view of each patient’s metabolic health and address a critical need in our region.”

THE LARGER TREND

Obesity rates continue to climb across the country, and a February study from UnitedHealthcare and the Health Action Council finds that this is a major driver of rising healthcare costs in the U.S., as well as a potential cost driver for employers.

By way of example, authors cited a 2024 congressional report showing that obesity will cost up to $9.1 trillion in excess medical expenditures over the next 10 years. Higher costs will also affect individuals; the cost share for members living with obesity was over $662 (66%) more per year than peers living without it.

Addressing the obesity epidemic could result in potentially significant cost savings, the report found. The HAC, for example, represents about 230 self-funded employers, and if 10% of HAC members didn’t develop obesity, up to $30 million in potential annual savings could be achieved.

Looked at another way, if an employer group with 5,000 enrollees achieved a 25% reduction in obesity, they could potentially save $8.6 million annually, according to the report.

Jeff Lagasse is editor of Healthcare Finance News.
Email: [email protected]
Healthcare Finance News is a HIMSS Media publication.