Can predictive tech help treat MSK and eliminate unnecessary surgeries?

One in two Americans lives with pain from a musculoskeletal (MSK) disorder, and these conditions have become a leading driver of employer health costs as their workers seek relief with a variety of treatments and costly surgery. 

To improve the way employees with MSK disorders receive care, healthcare navigation platform Quantum Health has teamed up with physical therapy platform Sword Health. Quantum will be the first healthcare partner to offer Sword's MSK programs — Sword Move and Sword Predict — to its 500 employer clients. These programs embrace virtual and digital care, and a predictive AI tool aims to keep patients from unnecessarily going under the knife.

"We're creating a set of solutions that we know can drive better experiences and better outcomes for our members," says Zane Burke, CEO of Quantum Health. "It's about utilizing these services when you need it. MSK can be debilitating. This can have a significantly positive outcome from an experience side and get people back to their lives." 

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The burden of chronic pain goes far beyond the occasional aching back. Those who suffer from MSK disorders often see their quality of life diminish as the condition lingers, and can face loss of independence and higher mortality rates, according to the National Library of Medicine. For those in the workplace, MSK conditions significantly limit mobility and dexterity and are the leading contributor to disability worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. As a result, employers see an annual loss of close to $600 billion from decreased productivity and prolonged absenteeism. 

Sword Move and Sword Predict work together to lead to better results. While Move aims to overcome inactivity and uses wearable technology and virtual coaching to encourage movement, Predict embraces machine learning and health data — such as medical history and socio-demographic information — to identify, up to eight months in advance, at-risk members who are 10-40 times more likely to need surgery. Alternative courses of treatment, such as digital therapy, are then suggested. 

"When a member is convinced they need surgery, you need to catch them early-on so that you are able to be actionable in terms of changing the cost of care," says Virgílio Bento, founder and CEO of Sword Health. "Right now clients are spending money on wasteful surgeries, and fifty percent of surgeries are not successful."

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For patients who do end up having surgery, or for whom a MSK condition is one of multiple health issues, having access to Quantum Health's platform provides additional access and support, including post-discharge outreach and access to professional medical advice. Regardless of their needs, members can access all points of care in one place, and return to their routines and responsibilities as quickly as possible.

"It's about getting the right kind of care at the right point in time, and having someone on that journey with you," says Burke. "Healthcare is getting harder every day. When you have a best-in-class solution like Sword, it eliminates a lot of challenges for the employer. The hard stuff should stay here for members, clients and providers, and we should simplify the journey to do that."