What our latest research shows: healthier members, fewer medications

New 2026 real-world data from 9amHealth shows that virtual care, delivered flexibly, helps people lose meaningful weight, lower blood pressure and A1c, and take fewer medications, with or without a GLP-1 medication for weight loss

Why this matters

Obesity affects more than 40% of US adults, and it rarely travels alone. High blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and liver disease often come with it, and so do long medication lists. Many of our members were previously taking multiple medications, several times a day, to manage their health. At the same time, getting to a doctor with special training in metabolic care often means wait times, long drives, and time away from family and work.

So we asked two practical questions.

Does virtual care actually deliver clinical results in a way that is convenient and flexible to meet the demands of our members’ daily lives?

And does it change, or better yet, improve, the daily health experience of members taking multiple medications for weight-related health conditions?

We studied thousands of 9amHealth members over 12 months to find out.

Finding 1: Virtual care drives real improvements on every treatment path

We followed 5,230 members for 12 months. Members averaged about 10 provider touchpoints a year, far more than a typical in-person clinic offers. But these visits happened conveniently and flexibly. While some wanted a sit-down visit, others preferred to chat with the Care Team about their care. No time off work, no long drives, no waiting.

Here’s what we’ve discovered:

• 13.6% average weight loss overall; members on GLP-1 medications lost 16%
• 77.3% of members lost at least 5% of their body weight, the threshold where health benefits start to show
• A1c fell 0.6 points on average among members starting in the prediabetes range or higher
• Blood pressure dropped 10.2 / 6.1 mmHg among members with high blood pressure, and 58% moved down at least one hypertension stage- meaningfully improving their risk of future heart events.

Improvements in A1c and blood pressure held up in every group, including members on lifestyle support alone who opted not to add medications. This means a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes or heart disease events related to high blood sugars or blood pressure levels.

Finding 2: Members needed fewer medications after a year

We compared what medications members filled before and after 12 months with 9amHealth. Among the 663 members who were taking at least one cardiometabolic medication (for blood pressure, cholesterol, or blood sugar) before starting their journey with us:

• Cardiometabolic medications dropped 28%, from 1.58 to 1.14 per member on average
• Total medications dropped 16% among the 1,867 members taking any medication at baseline
• Members who cut back on cardiometabolic medications still saw their health improve: systolic blood pressure fell 5.0 mmHg, A1c fell 0.35 points, and body weight fell 13.9%

Those results were consistent regardless of whether members were taking a GLP-1 for weight loss. In other words, people weren't just trading one prescription for another. As their health improved, their Care Team and our expert physicians were able to safely step down other medications, allowing members to maintain their heart and metabolic health with less need for medication.

What this means for employers and health plans

• The savings go beyond the scale. Fewer prescriptions to fill each month means lower pharmacy spend and a simpler daily routine for patients. Reducing medication complexity is an often-overlooked source of value in weight management programs.
• GLP-1s are a tool, not the whole treatment. Members on other medications or lifestyle support alone still improved blood pressure and A1c. Whether you cover GLP-1s or not, or when your employees can’t take or don’t want a GLP-1, 9amHealth can meaningfully improve their health.
• Our care model scales. Frequent, flexible provider touchpoints fit around work schedules and reach people who would never make it to a specialty clinic, without the cost of traditional visits.
• Outcomes you can measure. Weight, A1c, blood pressure, and medication fills are just some of the metrics that move long-term cardiometabolic costs. We track these, and more.

The bottom line

Clinically effective obesity care doesn't have to mean more appointments, more waiting rooms, or more prescriptions. Our data shows that a virtual, whole-person model can help people lose weight, get their blood pressure and blood sugar into healthier ranges, and in many cases, take fewer medications.

For employers and health plans: Want to see what these outcomes could look like for your population? Talk to our team.

For members: If your health is improving, talk with your 9amHealth Care Team about whether your medications still fit your needs.

These findings were presented as scientific posters by Riddle MN, Reilly ER, Kim SJ, and Waring AC (9amHealth, 9amHealth Medical Group, University of Washington). Individual results vary.