Obesity: The Chronic Disease That Demands a Chronic Solution

For too long, the healthcare system has treated obesity like a footnote—a "risk factor" for diabetes, hypertension, or fatty liver—rather than the complex, neurohormonally driven chronic disease that it is. This is a profound and costly error. By failing to recognize and treat obesity as a complex condition with roots in brain circuitry and metabolic dysregulation, we relegate patients to a frustrating cycle of loneliness, bias, complications, and guarantee avoidable long-term costs.

It is time for our healthcare delivery models to catch up to the science.

The Systemic Indignity of Bias and Biology in Traditional Weight Management

The core injustice our patients face is being blamed for a condition that is profoundly driven by biology and environment.

The science is clear: the heritability of body weight is estimated to be as high as 70%. This means that for the majority of patients, the predisposition to gain weight is heavily dictated by their genetics—factors controlling their metabolism, hunger hormones, and how their brain processes satiety signals.

When this potent genetic predisposition meets our modern obesogenic environment—characterized by readily available, calorie-dense foods and pervasive opportunities for sedentary behavior—the outcome is an epidemic. To reduce this complex interplay of genetics, biology, and environment down to a matter of "willpower" is not only scientifically inaccurate; it fuels systemic bias and creates a profound barrier to effective care.

When we treat obesity merely as a matter of lifestyle choice, we miss the opportunity to intervene effectively. We are ignoring decades of research proving that weight gain is often governed by biological signals that override conscious control.

The Pathophysiology of Obesity is Proven: The Brain is the Driver

The latest science confirms that obesity is rooted in metabolic dysregulation and altered neurohormonal signaling. The appetite and satiety centers in the brain (like the hypothalamus) are not receiving or processing signals correctly, leading to persistent hunger and an increased set point for body weight.

This is precisely why the new generation of pharmacological agents, like GLP-1 agonists, work—by targeting the brain to modulate appetite and metabolic function. They treat the underlying disease pathology, not just the symptoms.

And yet, our standard of care often lags. By delaying treatment until a patient develops Type 2 Diabetes or a major cardiovascular event, we default to reactive care:

• Clinical Failure: We neglect the biological basis of the disease, hindering earlier action and limiting the efficacy of both lifestyle changes and modern medications.
• Financial Failure: Allowing conditions to progress from manageable to severe ensures costly hospitalizations, complex polypharmacy, and the compounding expense of managing multiple, advanced comorbidities. Obesity is the most costly chronic disease we are failing to manage proactively.

Rimidi’s Imperative: Orchestrating Data for Proactive, Equitable Care for Patients with Obesity

It is incumbent upon us in health tech to adapt our delivery models to the science we now possess. At Rimidi, we recognized that to effectively manage this complex, biologically driven disease, clinicians need more than episodic snapshots—they need continuous, contextualized data that enables proactive, evidence-based care.

Our platform is designed to:

• Provide a Unified, Unbiased View: We integrate patient-generated data (weight, physical activity, blood pressure) directly with clinical and lab data from the EHR. This holistic view allows the care team to see the Obesity Disease View clearly, moving beyond assumptions to track true metabolic progress and comorbidities.
• Drive Proactive Intervention (Leveraging GLP-1s): Our Clinical Decision Support (CDS) tools flag patients who meet criteria for aggressive intervention, identify gaps in prescribing (including evidence-based anti-obesity medications like GLP-1s), and surface the latest guidelines right within the clinical workflow. This ensures that the most effective, science-backed pharmacological and behavioral treatments are launched precisely when they can be most impactful.
• Empower the Care Team: By turning siloed data into actionable insights, we help every member of the care team manage this complex, chronic condition with confidence and precision. This shift from reactive crisis management to proactive, continuous, and scientifically grounded care is the only path to better outcomes.

The Path Forward: Better Care, Better Economics

Recognizing obesity as a primary, genetic and neurohormonally-driven chronic condition is not just a medical designation; it is a moral and financial imperative. We must indignantly refuse to accept a delivery model that fails patients due to systemic bias and outdated science. By providing the necessary tools to manage cardiometabolic risk before it escalates, Rimidi is helping health systems prove that good clinical care informed by the latest science on the brain and metabolism is the most reliable strategy for achieving sustainable economic value. We are committed to empowering providers to lead this critical paradigm shift.

Learn more about Rimidi's approach to Obesity management here.