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VA & CCN Providers Patients and Caregivers

Helping Veterans get their lives back from type 2 diabetes

As a VHA Community Care Network* provider, we offer the Ketogenic Diabetes Telehealth Service to help patients put diabetes into remission.

* Managed by Optum and Triwest

About Virta

Virta is a patient-centered lifestyle program that reverses diabetes and metabolic syndrome under medical supervision. Think of us as a virtual diabetes specialist that delivers sustainable results. On average in their first year, patients interact with our providers on a near daily basis.

Two year ADA data show Veterans achieved a 0.6% average HbA1c reduction, and 7% average weight loss. 41% fewer people required diabetes medication beyond metformin, and 42% fewer people required insulin.

[00:00] Introduction

[2:37] Health Outcomes & Evidence in the Veteran Population

[16:54] Nutrition Principles & the Patient Experience

[26:05] Patient Eligibility Criteria

The Ketogenic Diabetes Telehealth service will be available soon to more Veterans

Currently, we are only accepting referrals for the original Veteran Pilot patient cohort. Provide your email if you'd like to be notified when we start accepting referrals for new Veteran patients.

By signing up you agree to receive periodic emails from Virta.
‍You can opt-out at any time. View our Privacy Policy.

For VA Providers

How to refer in CPRS

Click “Outpatient Consults”
Click “Community Care”
Locate “Ancillary Services”
Select “Ketogenic Diabetes Telehealth Services SEOC 1.3.1” from the drop-down menu
Click “New Request”
Complete the informed consent and screening questions 1-6. Referrers will need to select "yes" to all screening questions.

*"Virta Medical PC" will need to be selected if your clinic also assigns the provider/facility. Ensure the Affiliation matches your CCN region (1-6)

For CCN Providers

How to refer in HSRM or by Fax

Complete Request for Services form and include all relevant medical documents.
For existing referrals, upload the RFS form to the HSRM referral and follow the directions on the RefDocs, OR Fax to the Community Care Office at your local VAMC.
For new referrals, contact Community Care Office at your local VAMC for the appropriate fax number.

For additional support, call CCN Provider Services:

Region 1: 888-901-7407
Region 2: 844-839-6108
Region 3: 888-901-6613
Regions 4 & 5: 877-226-8749

Frequently Asked Questions

Reversal is life-changing.
Our veterans say it best.

Preston, Army Veteran

Tim, Navy Veteran

Sheila, Navy Veteran

Veterans real world clinical outcomes

What results can Veterans see with Virta

Download VA Provider FAQ

2-year outcomes among Veterans treated at Virta

41% fewer people require diabetes medication beyond metformin
42% fewer people require insulin
0.6% average HbA1c reduction, while 7% achieve diabetes remission
7% average weight loss

Get involved!

If you are interested in learning more about Ketogenic Diabetes Telehealth Services, our work with Veterans, or have questions, we would love to hear from you.

Advancing science and medicine

Our treatment is founded on decades of research and supported by ongoing clinical studies.

Two year, sustainable benefit to key diabetes outcomes

Virta trial patients experienced clinically significant improvements in HbA1c, metabolic syndrome rate, and markers of inflammation at two years. More than half of completers eliminated all medications (excluding metformin), and a significant portion of those individuals also had partial and complete diabetes remission.

Rapid impact on type 2 diabetes

The first investigation of Virta’s novel care model demonstrated that patients could rapidly improve glycemic control through reductions in fasting blood glucose, HbA1c, and medication use after 10 weeks of treatment. Patients lost 7% of their body weight on average and reported less hunger.

Prediabetes reversal and type 2 diabetes prevention

Virta studied the effects of its intervention in patients with prediabetes and found that only 3% of trial participants progressed to type 2 diabetes over a two year period. Over half of participants achieved normoglycemia, with 75% of patients retained at the two-year mark.

Long-term improvement in cardiovascular risk factors

At two years, Virta patients living with type 2 diabetes sustained improvements in multiple cardiovascular disease risk factors. This includes long-term improvement in traditional markers of atherogenic dyslipidemia (triglycerides and HDL cholesterol) and a substantial reduction in pro-atherogenic small LDL particles.

Sustained improvement in depressive symptoms at 2 years

Virta patients experienced rapid and sustained improvement in depressive symptoms, with nearly one-third fewer patients meeting the clinical cutoff for depression at two years. Depressed patients followed a similar pattern of metabolic health improvement compared to those without a past diagnosis.

Evidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease improvement

The only treatment currently endorsed by professional guidelines for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is weight loss. At one year, Virta patients on average lost 12% of body weight. Nearly 4 out of 5 patients lost more than 5% of their starting weight, which is associated with improvement in steatosis. Patients saw improvements in liver enzyme concentrations, surrogate scores for liver steatosis and fibrosis, and inflammation.

Long-term improvement in knee pain and function

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a painful and debilitating condition affecting more than 54 million U.S. adults (nearly 23%) annually. Among adults with diabetes, the prevalence of OA increases to an estimated 48.1%. Virta patients with type 2 diabetes, however, experienced significant long-term improvement in knee pain and function from baseline to two years.

One-year sleep improvement in type 2 diabetes and prediabetes

People with T2D and prediabetes are more likely to experience some kind of sleep disturbance. The interrelationship between sleep and metabolic disease not only affects quality of life but also worsens insulin resistance and other cardiometabolic outcomes. Virta patients improved global sleep score after one year of treatment with 14.0% and 20.7% improvements in T2D and prediabetes, respectively.

Continued improvement in health outcomes at 1 year

After one year of treatment, patients who chose Virta improved glycemic control and markers of other chronic conditions. 94% of patients on insulin reduced or eliminated their dosage. Average weight loss was 12%. Other improvements included markers of cardiovascular disease, inflammation, and liver function.

Significant impact on cardiovascular risk factors

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of death among adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Virta studied the cardiovascular disease risk factors in a cohort of patients living with (T2D), and found that Virta patients improved most biomarkers of CVD risk after 1 year, including blood pressure in the presence of reduced antihypertensive medications.

Reduced COVID severity with weight loss on Virta

Among the risk factors for severe COVID-19 infection and death include type 2 diabetes and obesity, both of which Virta has demonstrated to favorably impact. In Virta members with T2D and obesity who reported a COVID-19 diagnosis, greater weight loss was associated with a lower likelihood of severe covid as measured by hospitalization.

Pulmonary hypertension improvement: Case report

A patient with pulmonary hypertension and metabolic syndrome showed improvements with a year of nutrition intervention: NYHA functional class improvement from III to II, 34 kg weight loss, no longer needing supplemental oxygen at rest or with physical activity, as well as hemodynamic and spirometric improvements.

Weight loss before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown period were associated with obesogenic lifestyle changes and increased risk of weight gain. Virta showed that it was equally effective and feasible to help patients with obesity maintain clinically significant weight loss before and during pandemic.

Read about our research