Obesity affects nearly half of all Americans, yet stigma and ineffective care leave patients behind. Elina Onitskansky of Ilant Health is changing the narrative with an AI-powered, patient-first model that tackles the root causes of obesity and cardiometabolic disease.
TAMPA BAY, Fla., May 14, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Three out of four U.S. adults are now overweight or obese, straining the healthcare system and driving up medical costs. (1) Yet, the battle against obesity remains stalled by stigmas, quick-fix diets, and inconsistent medical care. On this week's episode of Disruption Interruption, hosted by Karla Jo Helms (KJ), Elina Onitskansky, founder and CEO of Ilant Health, shares how her first-of-its-kind value-based center of excellence aims to change this narrative. Leveraging technology, data analytics, and personalized care, Ilant Health redefines the approach to obesity management.
"To truly address this crisis, it's time to discard one-size-fits-all solutions that don't work and focus on personalized, evidence-based care that meets people where they are," says Onitskansky.
The Overlooked Crisis: Stigma, Data Gaps, and the Fight Against Obesity
For decades, the treatment of obesity has been oversimplified, with fad diets, generic exercise regimens, and inconsistent healthcare solutions. Traditional healthcare systems and consumer-centric platforms have failed to deliver effective, sustainable care to those who need it most.
"Often, solutions are presented as quick-fix miracles, from apple cider vinegar to crash diets," points out Onitskansky. "But these approaches lack the nuance needed to tackle obesity, which is driven by myriad factors including cardiometabolic health, environmental pressures, and behavioral components."
Combined with the stigma, many patients are left feeling hopeless, overlooked, or disconnected from the very system designed to support them. Data gaps further exacerbate the issue. "Shockingly, while 40-50% of Americans have obesity, only 5-10% of healthcare claims reflect this reality," she explains. "This data invisibility has contributed to systemic neglect and inadequate solutions."
Ilant Health's Breakthrough Approach to Obesity Care
Ilant Health is transforming healthcare by moving beyond ineffective, one-size-fits-all solutions to deliver personalized, comprehensive care designed for lasting health outcomes. Their innovative approach is rooted in a commitment to personalization, leveraging advanced analytics to identify individuals who need care the most.
"Our philosophy is simple: 'right member, right treatment, right support,'" says Onitskansky. "Using data-driven insights, we proactively engage patients with the highest disease burden, offering compassionate, holistic care."
Ilant Health's approach combines evidence-based solutions with individualized care strategies. From medical interventions and behavioral therapies to personalized nutrition plans and advanced treatments such as medication or surgery, every solution is designed to address the root causes of obesity and improve cardiometabolic health.
"The key is understanding that no single solution works for everyone," Onitskansky explains. By focusing on what's effective both medically and practically, Ilant Health is creating sustainable paths to better health outcomes. "The problem with traditional healthcare is its reliance on generic solutions," Onitskansky adds. "We aim to empower patients to succeed by addressing their unique needs within the context of their individual lives."
Links
Disrupting Obesity Care: The Tech-Driven Approach to Personalized Treatment, with Elina Onitskansky
https://omny.fm/shows/disruption-interruption/disrupting-obesity-care-the-tech-driven-approach-to-personalized-treatment-with-elina-onitskansky
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elinaonitskansky/
Company website: https://www.ilanthealth.com/
Disruption Interruption is the podcast where you will hear from today's biggest Industry Disruptors. Learn what motivated them to bring about innovation and how they overcame opposition to adoption.
Disruption Interruption can be listened to in Apple's App Store and Spotify.
About Disruption InterruptionTM
Disruption is happening on an unprecedented scale, impacting all manner of industries— MedTech, Finance, IT, eCommerce, shipping, logistics, and more—and COVID has moved their timelines up a full decade or more. But WHO are these disruptors and when did they say, "THAT'S IT! I'VE HAD IT!"? Time to Disrupt and Interrupt with host Karla Jo "KJ" Helms, veteran communications disruptor. KJ interviews badasses who are disrupting their industries and altering economic networks that have become antiquated with an establishment resistant to progress. She delves into uncovering secrets from industry rebels and quiet revolutionaries that uncover common traits—and not-so-common—that are changing our economic markets… and lives. Visit the world's key pioneers that persist to success, despite arrows in their backs at http://www.disruption-interruption.com.
About Elina Onitskanky
Elina Onitskansky is a transformative force in value-based healthcare and the founder & CEO of Ilant Health, a pioneering center of excellence dedicated to personalized, tech-driven treatment for obesity and cardiometabolic disease. With over two decades of leadership across health plans, providers, consulting, and investing, Onitskansky brings a unique blend of strategic vision and operational expertise to solving one of the most complex healthcare challenges of our time.
Before founding Ilant, Onitskansky served as Senior Vice President and Head of Strategy at Molina Healthcare and as an Associate Partner at McKinsey & Company, where she co-led the Commercial Service Line within the Healthcare Systems and Services Practice. Her lived experience with obesity fueled her mission to build a platform that partners with employers and health plans to deliver equitable, evidence-based care to the millions affected by this misunderstood and under-treated chronic condition.
Onitskansky holds an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School and an A.B. in Chemistry and Physics magna cum laude from Harvard College. She is an outspoken advocate for redefining obesity as a medical condition—and for breaking down the systemic barriers that stand between patients and the care they deserve.
About Karla Jo Helms
Karla Jo Helms is the Chief Evangelist and Anti-PR® Strategist for JOTO PR Disruptors™. Karla Jo learned firsthand how unforgiving business can be when millions of dollars are on the line — and how the control of public opinion often determines whether one company is happily chosen, or another is brutally rejected. Being an alumnus of crisis management, Karla Jo has worked with litigation attorneys, private investigators, and the media to help restore companies of goodwill into the good graces of public opinion — Karla Jo operates on the ethic of getting it right the first time, not relying on second chances and doing what it takes to excel. Helms speaks globally on public relations, how the PR industry itself has lost its way, and how, in the right hands, corporations can harness the power of Anti-PR to drive markets and impact market perception.
References
1. Agrawal, Nina. "Three-Quarters of U.S. Adults Are Now Overweight or Obese." The New York Times, 14 Nov. 2024, nytimes.com/2024/11/14/well/obesity-epidemic-america.html.
Media Inquiries:
Karla Jo Helms
JOTO PR™
727-777-4629
Media Contact
Karla Jo Helms, JOTO PR™, 727-777-4629, [email protected], jotopr.com
SOURCE Disruption Interruption
Share this article