Diabetes Core Update – Special Edition: What's Next Series – CIBA Health

Podcast Date: March 25, 2025
Host: Dr. Neil Skolnik
Guest: Dr. Innocent Clement, CEO & Founder, CIBA Health
Sponsor: CIBA Health

Overview

This special edition of Diabetes Core Update’s "What’s Next" Series spotlights Dr. Innocent Clement, CEO and founder of CIBA Health, a digital integrated healthcare platform. The episode explores how CIBA Health is rethinking chronic condition management—especially for type 2 diabetes and obesity—using a personalized, data-driven, and holistic approach. The discussion centers on the need for proactive, integrated models of care and traces Dr. Clement’s vision for transforming patient and clinician experiences, improving outcomes, and reducing frustration and systemic inefficiency.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Genesis and Vision of CIBA Health

• CIBA’s Mission: A digital health platform aiming to prevent, manage, and empower patients with chronic conditions (type 2 diabetes, obesity, cardiometabolic disease).
  • Present across 50 U.S. states, Canada, UAE, and China.
  • Tackles high costs and poor outcomes driven by fragmented, reactive care.
  • Uses a comprehensive, personalized, and integrated model blending medical care, nutrition, behavioral health, and coaching.
  • Quote:
    "Our goal is to build a global business. Not just a business that is focused on the US alone, but [one] that’s also going to make impact across the globe." – Dr. Clement [02:38]

2. Gaps in Current Healthcare Models

• Reactive vs. Proactive Care: Traditional care is seen as reactive; patients manage symptoms, not root causes.
• Fragmentation: Chronic disease patients must coordinate their own care with various specialists with little support.
• Lack of Personalization: One-size-fits-all doesn’t work for diabetes due to variable patient needs.
• Quote:
  "Healthcare is often reactive rather than proactive...focusing on symptom management instead of trying to understand the root causes of type 2 diabetes." – Dr. Clement [04:24]

3. Dr. Clement’s Background and Inspirations

• Physician-turned-entrepreneur: Experienced frustrations as both clinician and patient in managing chronic disease.
• Early Digital Health: Co-founded a prior startup (2015–19), learning about systemic issues and forming the vision for CIBA Health.
• Patient & Provider Frustration: Both groups are burned out by fragmented, inefficient systems.
• Personal Motivation: Driven by desire to fix the system for both sides—foster better outcomes and reduce provider burnout.
• Quote:
  "Despite the advancement in medicine, patients with chronic conditions—especially diabetes—continue to experience fragmented care, poor outcomes and a sense of frustration. This is not just the patient alone...even me as a provider, I am also frustrated." – Dr. Clement [06:25]

4. Holistic, Integrated, and Personalized Care

• Multidisciplinary Team in One Platform: Doctors, dietitians, behavioral therapists, health coaches working together, centering the patient.
• Advanced Analytics: Utilizes biomarker testing, behavioral data, lifestyle factors, and predictive modeling for tailored interventions.
• Quote:
  "Diabetes isn’t [the] same for everyone... we use advanced analytics and predictive modeling tailored to each individual's journey." – Dr. Clement [11:35]

5. Patient Data & Real-time Feedback Loop

• Wearables and Remote Monitoring:
  • Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGMs), blood pressure cuffs, scales, activity trackers—all feeding into a data dashboard.
  • Data is shared in real time with both patients and care teams.
  • System flags concerning trends and sends actionable notifications.
  • Health coaches act as “quarterbacks,” supporting patients with interpretation and motivation.
• Behavioral Input: Food logs are timestamped and cross-referenced with glucose data; personalized nudges are delivered (e.g., “Go for a 15-minute walk”).
• Quote:
  "We provide that one platform that provides all the integration with devices, sends notifications, nudges...and allow [patients] to see, 'maybe I should minimize this.'" – Dr. Clement [15:02]

6. High Touch, High Tech

• Not Just Data, But Human Support:
  • Combines technological feedback with regular human coaching and behavioral therapy for sustainable change.
  • Unlocks trust, empowerment, and stronger patient-provider relationships.
• Quote:
  "We call it at CIBA Health 'high touch, high tech.' It has to be a balance of technology—there has to be the human element as well." – Dr. Clement [18:28]

7. Working with Clinicians and Integrating Primary Care

• Complementing, Not Replacing, PCPs:
  • CIBA aims to extend—not substitute for—primary care.
  • Real-time data is shared with primary care through seamless EMR/EHR integration (Epic, Cerner, Meditech, etc.).
  • Emphasis on building a true care team around the patient.
• Quote:
  "Our goal is not to replace the patient’s primary care provider...our goal is to really complement and extend their reach." – Dr. Clement [21:27]

8. Demonstrated Outcomes and Validation

• Improvements Documented:
  • On average, A1C reduced by as much as 2 points in engaged patients, with nearly half reducing or discontinuing medications.
  • Average weight loss of about 30 lbs over 12 months.
  • Reduced healthcare costs for both employers and patients.
• Third-party Validation:
  • Data/results were independently validated for credibility with clients and payers.
• Quote:
  "As long as the patient actually adheres to care plan...we see significant improvement..." – Dr. Clement [26:14]

9. Addressing Presenteeism and Absenteeism

• Impact on Employer Costs and Worker Productivity:
  • Chronic disease drives presenteeism (at work but underperforming) and absenteeism (missed work).
  • CIBA measures and reports on these metrics, providing 24/7 support to help address productivity loss.
• Quote:
  "Presenteeism is also a significant cost driver for employers...we measure presenteeism, we also measure absenteeism..." – Dr. Clement [29:50]

10. Challenges in Building and Scaling CIBA Health

• Biggest Hurdles:
  • Educating stakeholders to move away from 'quick fixes' towards long-term, root-cause oriented care.
  • Establishing trust—employers and payers are skeptical of new solutions without robust evidence.
  • Need for early data—CIBA started with direct-to-consumer pilots to gather outcomes and prove effectiveness.
• Quote:
  "As a startup, you don’t have data. It’s challenging to get your first client because no one wants to take the risk...What we’ve done is go directly to consumers, collect data from early adopters, and use that data to begin conversation." – Dr. Clement [33:37]

11. How Clinicians Can Refer Patients

• Referrals & Access:
  • CIBA is partnering with ADA and CDC to raise awareness.
  • Patients and clinicians can access CIBA via the app store or through institutional partnerships.
  • Ongoing outreach via webinars, community partnerships, and collaborations with religious organizations and health systems.
• Quote:
  "Members can actually go to the app store, download the CIBA app, and have access..." – Dr. Clement [36:29]

12. The Future of Chronic Disease Care

• Prediction, Prevention, and Optimization:
  • Integrated, AI-powered, continuous monitoring to predict risk and intervene earlier.
  • Shift focus from symptom management to metabolic health optimization.
• Quote:
  "The future of the care model is going to be more integrated...it’s going to be [about] metabolic health optimization and not just management." – Dr. Clement [37:19]
  • "Type 2 diabetes and other related metabolic conditions don’t have to be a lifelong burden. With the right approach...we can truly transform lives." – Dr. Clement [38:21]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Need for Change:
  "We should take a lead in making the change, making the difference. More often than not, a lot of us clinicians...are very comfortable with the work—not thinking about how can we continue to innovate. This is not something simple. It’s not ABC. It comes with its own challenges." – Dr. Clement [09:28]

• On Patient Empowerment:
  "We want to empower the patient to be the captain of their own care journey. It’s not just easy to say, but it’s important to ensure you have all the support." – Dr. Clement [19:26]

• On Data-Driven Personalization:
  "For us...the technology tracks the trends over time...structured in a way that it’s also color-coded and flags specific trends for the patient to make decisions..." – Dr. Clement [17:12]

• Dr. Skolnick's Reflection:
  "When I think about all these devices and all this data, I always get afraid that we lose that personal touch. The truth is we’re all people...If we don’t have someone listen to our feedback, fears, and aspirations, the data falls flat." – Dr. Neil Skolnick [18:32]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Introduction and CIBA Health’s Mission: [00:02 – 03:03]
• Identifying Healthcare Gaps: [04:05 – 05:26]
• Dr. Clement’s Journey & Motivation: [06:06 – 08:24]
• Holistic Care Model Explained: [09:24 – 12:23]
• Wearables and Data Personalization: [13:06 – 16:14]
• High Touch, High Tech Philosophy: [18:11 – 19:56]
• PCP Integration & EHR Compatibility: [21:23 – 23:00]
• Clinical Outcomes & Validation: [24:24 – 27:02]
• Addressing Presenteeism: [28:51 – 31:11]
• Building & Scaling Challenges: [31:40 – 35:43]
• Patient/Clinician Access to CIBA: [35:55 – 37:10]
• Final Thoughts on Future Care Models: [37:19 – 38:21]

Final Takeaways

CIBA Health, as described by Dr. Innocent Clement, offers a comprehensive and modern solution to chronic disease care—one that moves beyond reactive, fragmented, and impersonal approaches. By integrating real-time data, proactive interventions, personalization, and robust human support, CIBA positions itself as a transformative agent in diabetes and obesity care, empowering both patients and clinicians for better outcomes and lower costs.

For more information, visit: www.diabetesjournals.org