Virta Health, a startup that aims to reverse Type 2 diabetes, added former CMS Administrator Don Berwick, MD, to its board of directors.
Dr. Berwick, a pediatrician by training, is president emeritus and a senior fellow at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, an independent nonprofit in Cambridge, Mass. He previously served as vice chair of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and chair of the National Advisory Council for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, which is part of HHS.
"I've spent decades working with groups who aren't afraid to tackle big problems with innovative approaches," Dr. Berwick said. "The scientific and technological achievements to reverse type 2 diabetes at scale are groundbreaking. I'm excited to join their board of directors and work together to shift the paradigm from diabetes management to reversal."
Virta Health, which launched in March, brands itself as an "online diabetes reversal clinic." The startup aims to reverse Type 2 diabetes by lowering hemoglobin A1c, a measure of blood sugar, through continuous remote care. The startup connects users with physician supervision, health coaches, biomarker tracking and personalized nutrition plans via a smartphone app.