We guarantee results, not medication

The below is an email I sent to Calibrate’s direct-to-consumer members on August 21, 2023.

Dear Member,

At Calibrate, our north star is your results. Over the past three months, you have experienced challenges caused by our new app, medication shortages, and our responsiveness. I sincerely apologize for these disruptions, and I want to share my thoughts on each as we double down on guaranteeing results for each of you.

1. Our App relaunch

This summer, we rebuilt our technology platform, including your app. Unfortunately, during the transition to your new app, there were a number of issues migrating your data that left some of you unable to access your messages, your content, or your progress. We’ve used your feedback to release a new mobile app version weekly, and believe that we have fixed all major issues for most members. If you have an issue from the new app that is not resolved or you have feedback on a new feature, please continue to visit the App Status Page, and share what you’re seeing in the app by emailing us.

2. Medication shortages

I understand how incredibly frustrating it is when access to your medication is disrupted. The combination of persistent shortages impacting every single GLP-1 medication over the last year, and increasingly disruptive insurance coverage changes means that you are likely to experience gaps in your medication during your Calibrate program. Insurance plans are 20% less likely to cover GLP-1s this year vs. last year and often have much shorter approval windows: instead of getting coverage approval for 12 months, we’re often seeing just three. We designed Calibrate to work — even without medication. And we back that up with our promise: 10% weight loss or your money back. We have published results demonstrating greater than 15% weight loss with the only requirement being at least one month of medication. Unfortunately, medication disruptions are not new — we’ve spent most of the last year chasing down inventory and insurance approvals for you. During medication disruptions, we are committed to partnering with you to move your prescriptions to pharmacies and doses that are covered by your insurance and in stock, however each new prescription takes time from both your Medical Team and our Benefits Navigation Team, which leads me right into our final issue.

3. Our responsiveness

The app launch and medication shortages compounded one another, leading to an unacceptable response time from our team. We are committed to timely responses to your messages, period.

Fixing our response times is our number one priority. Our commitment is to be back on track with the following response times by the end of September (or sooner), specifically:

• We will respond to messages about program questions (appointments, billing, labs, technical support, etc.) within two business days.
• We will respond to messages about insurance and pharmacy, including medication status, prior authorizations, or moving prescriptions to new pharmacies within three business days.
• We will continue to review and respond to 100% of messages to the Medical Team regarding medical issues, such as dosing and side effects, within one business day.

We have always believed that medication is a tool, not the entire treatment.

No one can guarantee uninterrupted medication access. What sets Calibrate apart is that while we don’t promise medication, we do promise results: at least 10% or your money back. Changes in your medication status do not affect this guarantee. We’re the first and only program to offer this promise, and we can do it because we’ve proven that our program works (with or without medication).

The foundation of our Results Money-Back Promise is the Calibrate Commitment. I recognize that recent disruptions to your day-to-day with Calibrate have made it difficult to honor the Calibrate Commitment. I want you to feel confident that we remain dedicated to your results, and support you in recommitting to the program.

That’s why we’re suspending the daily tracking requirement in the app between June 1 and August 31, so any lapses in tracking, content, or coaching during this time won’t be counted against you.

I believe that by fully engaging in the program (tracking, attending regular coaching sessions, and completing your content), you’ll achieve at least 10% weight loss, regardless of medication access. And we’ll back it up with our Money Back Promise.

One of our core values is “in it together,” which we define as enabling each other to do our best work. I am grateful to you for being in it together by sharing your feedback throughout these challenges. You can reply to this email with any thoughts on how we can best support you to do your best in your Calibrate program and I’ll reply to you directly.

Sincerely,

Isabelle Kenyon

Calibrate Founder & CEO