Weight management

Memorial Hermann offers the following services to our employees, their families and our broader communities.

• MH Nutrition Services: Our registered, licensed dietitians can help you establish nutrition goals that meet your health needs and fit into your lifestyle.
• MH Compass®: This program is designed to address your personal health needs and concerns. Sign up for access to free meal plans, workouts and health and wellness tips customized to your specific health goals.
• MH NewStart Surgical Weight Loss Program: Find out more about surgical options for weight loss.

Visit Employee Wellness for information on: 

• Health Coaching: Our certified health coaches engage with you to foster healthy habits through goal setting and facilitating behavior change. A health coach can help you:
  • Make changes to improve your health, such as losing weight or increasing physical activity 
  • Set appropriate health and wellness goals in the areas of exercise and sleep
  • Assist with stress management techniques
  • Act as a friendly accountability partner while you are working to implement and achieve health and wellness goals
• Nutrition Consultations: Individual consultations with a registered dietitian (RD) provide personalized advice and nutrition-based interventions. A dietitian can help you:
  • Make changes to improve your health and wellness, such as improving diet and nutrition 
  • Set appropriate nutrition goals
  • Distinguish between dietary trends or myths and evidence-based nutrition
  • Act as a dietary accountability partner in relation to chronic disease management, such as diabetes or hypertension

Additional Resources

• Noom for weight loss support. Noom helps you create long-term results through habit and behavior change – not restrictive dieting.
• Life in Balance (LIB) for education and skill-based workshops. LIB can help you make changes in your life that improve your well-being and lead to long-term, sustainable weight loss.

We recognize that medications can play an important role in your health care journey. We offer coverage for GLP-1 prescription drugs, which include popular brands such as Wegovy, Saxenda and Zepbound, to patients with moderate to severe obesity.

It’s important that we offer coverage for these medications in a way that is both responsible and sustainable. Doing so will ensure individuals with the greatest health needs have access to these medications coupled with the necessary lifestyle support programs to promote successful weight management long-term.

Effective August 1, 2024, you must meet specific requirements to be eligible for a GLP-1 prescription through our pharmacy plan.

Eligibility Requirements

Eligibility requirements for adults age 18 and older:

• You (or your employee sponsor if you are a spouse or dependent) must be employed by Memorial Hermann for one year.
• Through clinical documentation, your physician must show that you have tried other weight loss medications for at least 90 days (step therapy) prior to a GLP-1.
• You must have a BMI of 30 or above with a diagnosed significant comorbidity or a BMI of 33 or above without a comorbidity.
• You must actively participate in both of Memorial Hermann’s designated weight management programs: Noom and our monthly in-house offering, called Life in Balance (see additional information about these programs below).
• Initial approval will be given for a three-month period.
  • To re-authorize after the initial approval, you must be actively participating in both of Memorial Hermann’s designated weight management programs: Noom and our in-house offering, Life in Balance.
  • Re-authorizations will be limited to six-month increments, and you must meet the criteria outlined here each time you request a re-authorization.

If you do not meet the above eligibility criteria, you will not be eligible a GLP-1 medication through Memorial Hermann’s pharmacy plan.

Eligibility requirements for dependent children under age 18:

• As the employee sponsor of a covered dependent child, you must be employed by Memorial Hermann for one year.
• Through clinical documentation, your physician must show that you have tried other weight loss medications for at least 90 days (step therapy) prior to a GLP-1.
• Your dependent child must have a BMI of 30 or above with a diagnosed significant comorbidity or a BMI of 33 or above without a comorbidity.
• Initial approval will be given for a three-month period.
  • Re-authorizations will be limited to six-month increments, and your dependent must meet the criteria outlined here each time you request a re-authorization.

If your dependent does not meet the above eligibility criteria, they will not be eligible for a GLP-1 medication through Memorial Hermann’s pharmacy plan.

Additional information

• The copay for a GLP-1 prescription is $150 for a 30-day supply.
• Once you or your covered dependent achieves a BMI under 30, the plan will no longer cover a prescription for a GLP-1 medication for weight loss.
• Individuals with a BMI greater than 45 will receive information about scheduling a bariatric referral to learn more about the benefits and risks of weight loss surgery and weight loss medication.

As always, we encourage you to discuss your health care journey with your physician.

Required Memorial Hermann Programs for Weight Loss Medications

To have a GLP-1 prescription approved through Memorial Hermann’s prescription drug coverage, you must actively participate in both of Memorial Hermann’s designated weight management programs described here.

Noom

Noom helps you achieve long-term results through habit and behavior change; not restrictive dieting.

Success while taking a GLP-1 depends on making the necessary lifestyle change to realize and maintain healthy weight loss. Noom has tailored its award-winning behavior-change approach with customized nutrition, fitness and coaching to help maintain lean mass for those taking a GLP-1. 

To be eligible for a GLP-1 prescription, you must enroll in the Noom Medication Companion Program and earn an average of 14 Noom Coins per month for the duration of your prior authorization eligibility. Noom Coins are earned by completing all three of the following tasks in a day:

1. Logging meals
2. Logging weight
3. Reading all articles assigned in Noom for that day

If your prior authorization is approved for three months, you must earn a total of 42 Noom Coins (14 coins per month x 3 months) before your prior authorization expires.

If your prior authorization is approved for six months, you must earn a total of 84 Noom Coins (14 coins per month x 6 months) before your prior authorization expires.

The Noom app offers you a wealth of support, including:

• Personalized nutritional guidance that encourages a protein-rich diet while taking a GLP-1
• Medication and protein trackers to help you stay on track
• Fitness-focused content and videos with targeted exercises designed to prevent muscle loss associated with GLP-1 use
• Expert-led guidance and encouragement that addresses expectations, common side effects and helps with building overall resilience

These resources empower responsible on-ramping when you begin taking a GLP-1 and safe off-ramping to help you achieve sustainable weight loss.

Memorial Hermann offers a free Noom subscription to all employees. Spouses and adult dependents on a GLP-1 medication will also be provided a free membership.

To get started, visit go.noom.com/memorialhermann. If you have a subscription to Noom already, you may contact partnersupport@noom.com and provide your employee ID to switch over to the free Memorial Hermann account.

Life in Balance

The Life in Balance (LIB) program is designed to help you make changes in your life that improve your well-being and lead to long-term, sustainable weight loss. LIB is offered year-round and includes 60-minute health education and skill-building workshops where health coaches cover a different topic each month.

Health coaches will support you throughout your journey, empower you to take charge of your health and help you create sustainable changes. You’re encouraged to keep an open mind, try new things and step outside of your comfort zone.

The LIB program focuses on a single topic every month and offers eight virtual sessions throughout each month on that topic — so you can find a time that works with your schedule.

To be eligible for a GLP-1 prescription, you must attend one LIB session per month every month while in your first, initial three-month prior-authorization period. For six-month renewal prior-authorization periods, you must attend one LIB session per month for five months of the six-month period. You must attend an entire session to receive credit; your participation will be captured through a survey that you will be asked to complete during each session.

Refer to the LIB page for the schedule of sessions.