Author: Aaron C. Quinn, Ph.D., Chief Clinical Officer and Co-Founder, Album Health
As a practicing psychologist, I’ve spent decades helping patients develop the skills and insights they need to gain emotional health. Over the years, I noticed an undeniable pattern. As my patients with concomitant chronic conditions began to restore their mental health, I would see clinical evidence of improved physical health. Their emotional healing was enabling them to take better care of their physical health.
As this pattern remained consistent over the years, I became inspired. I wanted to find a scalable solution for people struggling with diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular, musculoskeletal and other chronic conditions to address the emotional barriers that impeded their ability to master a healthy lifestyle.
In developing AlbumHealth’s Emotional Health+ Program, we deviated from traditional pathways to create an approach that addressed the emotional health barriers to health optimization. Leveraging psychological constructs fueled by data-driven intelligence, we created a unique offering that includes personalized behavior plans focusing on the whole person.
I am proud of the impact we’ve had in helping so many people achieve what they once believed was impossible – living a healthy life. I want to share one person’s story with you.
Joe’s Journey
Two years ago, Joe was a 55 year old with Type 2 diabetes and multiple other conditions. Weighing over 400 pounds, Joe was sedentary, poorly motivated, and chronically non-compliant with his treatment protocols. His medical claims averaged $22K a year.
AlbumHealth’s Coach identified Joe as being at risk for severe depression based on AlbumHealth’s emotional health assessment. In conversations, Joe described disinterest in his family and work. His AlbumHealth Coach encouraged him to seek professional care, and Joe was soon diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), a condition not previously diagnosed.
While Joe was treated by a psychiatrist, he routinely accessed AlbumHealth’s proprietary digital offerings, including the Emotional Health Improvement ProgramTM. Throughout the process, Joe’s Coach provided guidance about the small steps he could take towards improving his health. Joe relied upon regular communications with his AlbumHealth Coach and AlbumHealth’s Personalized Behavior Change System™ to motivate him to keep moving forward. Each day, Joe and his AlbumHealth Coach monitored his daily actions, which were utilized to provide real-time actionable guidance throughout his journey.
The diagnosis and treatment of MDD were key turning points for Joe. Once his depressive symptoms improved, he was better able to work with his AlbumHealth Coach and take full advantage of AlbumHealth’s comprehensive digital offerings to optimize all aspects of his health.
Joe’s journey was not easy or straightforward. It took months for his small steps to turn into sustainable, healthy habits. When his data inputs slowed or indicated Joe was struggling, the AlbumHealth system automatically alerted his AlbumHealth Coach to reach out.
Joe’ success with AlbumHealth is easily measured. He now weighs 240 pounds and has significantly improved functioning across all areas of measurement. He is compliant with his treatment plan and is no longer depressed. His HbA1c is normal, and his annual medical spend has decreased by 78%. His quality of life improved significantly, confirmed by meaningful improvements in his SF-36 scores as measured across all domains.
By Joe’s own admission, AlbumHealth saved his life.
While inspiring, Joe’s story may not have had a happy ending if the most significant barrier to his health was not identified and addressed…Depression.
I invite you to learn more about how our innovative, evidence-based solution is changing lives while delivering meaningful results. Click here.