Ilant Health is a center of excellence for obesity and cardiometabolic health, focused on increasing access to obesity treatment while reducing total cost of care for employers and payers through value-based care. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Ilant Health CEO Elina Onitskanky to learn more about the company.
Elina Onitskanky’s Background
What is Elina Onitskanky’s background? Onitskanky said:
“On the professional side, I have been in the healthcare industry for the last several decades including roles as an associate partner in McKinsey’s Healthcare Systems and Services Practice and Senior Vice President & Head of Strategy at Molina. On a personal level, I’m someone who has struggled with obesity my entire life.”
Formation Of Ilant Health
How did the idea for the company come together? Onitskanky shared:
“It came from an ‘aha’ moment on my own personal journey with obesity and actually interpreting that journey through the lens of my professional experiences. That moment came at a Thanksgiving with my family a few years ago. I was sitting on the beach (they’re in Florida) a couple years after finally getting evidence-based care for myself…and I realized that obesity was just like mental health and fertility and these areas that had been completely misunderstood and stigmatized for years and I wanted to help bring the right solution into the space. I deeply believe that solution has to work within the healthcare system not go around it… and set out to build it.”
Favorite Memory
What has been your favorite memory working for the company so far? Onitskanky reflected:
“One of the most meaningful things that I’ve found happening (and it reminds me of the early days of mental health) is that, after I talk about what we do, people will come up to me and say – thanks for sharing that – my colleagues don’t know but I’m in treatment for obesity.”
Core Products
What are the company’s core products and features? Onitskanky explained:
“We provide a holistic solution for obesity including analytics to identify who would benefit most from treatment and what is the right treatment for them, a comprehensive care team to support members in treatment, and purpose-built technology to help members be successful over the short term and long term.”
Significant Milestones
What have been some of the company’s most significant milestones? Onitskanky cited:
“We’re really proud to see our model getting recognized as exciting by some of the most innovative employers. On a day-to-day basis, the milestones that are meaningful to us are members getting to do things they haven’t done in years because they’re part of our program.”
Customer Success Stories
After asking Onitskanky about customer success stories, she highlighted:
“One that really touched me was a member who was able to ride attractions with her son at an amusement park now that she was below the weight limit.”
Differentiation From The Competition
What differentiates the company from its competition? Onitskanky affirmed:
“We believe three things really differentiate us – first, our focus on using analytics to identify who needs care the most and match them to optimal care, second, the comprehensive nature of our care team that includes not just obesity medicine physicians and registered dietitians, but also mental health clinicians, and third, our focus on leaning in to lived experience and supporting members with peer navigators.”
Future Company Goals
What are some of the company’s future company goals? Onitskanky concluded:
“We hope to transform obesity care and, by doing so, curb the growth in chronic conditions and healthcare costs.”
