When you’re comparing digital health companies, you may wonder what a Digital MSK platform offers. While MSK is an area of medical technology that has long been lacking, there are some significant benefits of digital health care for MSK patients. Here’s a look at what Digital MSK can offer, as well as the costs and implementation. 

Digital musculoskeletal (MSK) platform

A digital musculoskeletal platform is a virtual medical environment that combines digital technology with a human touch to deliver care. With this technology, patients can access high-quality providers and receive affordable, convenient care at home. They can also access tools that help them choose the best treatment for their specific condition. Here’s how one platform works. This platform enhances human activity, amplifies clinical capacity, and increases efficiency.

First, the platform needs to be easy to scale. It should also be accessible to a broad range of users and devices. That way, a digital platform can be deployed quickly and tailored to the population it serves. Another requirement is portability. If a user can use the device in the comfort of their own home, they can keep the system with them while traveling. Ultimately, digital health is an investment in a better quality of life for patients.

Benefits

The benefits of a digital MSK program are many. A digital MSK program aims to help patients manage pain associated with chronic MSK conditions. The program includes exercise therapy, education, and personal health coaching and consists of a tablet computer with an app for the program and wearable motion sensors. Participants in a digital MSK program have higher pain scores than nonparticipants, and most report significant pain reduction over time.

Telemedicine usage increased 40 percent in the last year, most of that growth from first-time users. In the first quarter of 2021, the U.S. digital health space saw $6.7 billion raised, with digital MSK companies in the top six. Using digital MSK tools to connect patients with healthcare professionals across the globe has increased patient utilization while reducing overall costs. Digital MSK solutions are a natural fit for these benefits.

Costs

The costs of treating musculoskeletal conditions are high, but the new technology could help cut these expenses. Lower back and neck pain, for example, accounted for the highest amount of healthcare spending in 2016 – a staggering $134.5 billion. MSK disorders ranked second. Many MSK patients are not yet ready for this new technology, but digital MSK companies are catching on, hoping to lower costs and improve access to care.

The digital MSK solution promises high-value care at lower costs. It offers value-based benefits to members, encouraging employers to design incentives and rewards around these services. Moreover, it supports value-based insurance design by allowing health plans to align member out-of-pocket costs with the actual value of health services. Several health plans across the country are deploying these innovative technologies to help reduce costs and improve outcomes. 

Implementation

The implementation of Digital MSK offers an opportunity to provide personal health coaching, exercise therapy, and education to people with chronic MSK pain. It gives participants tablet computers with a program app and wearable motion sensors to measure and monitor movement. As part of the program, participants receive personalized coaching from certified health coaches and are matched with a health coach over time. Health coaches act as supportive accountability partners. They help participants develop healthy habits and answer questions about the program and its resources.

MSK providers have cornered the market for EHR data. As a result, the patient’s previous care may affect their future care. It’s difficult for patients to explain this. And switching MSK providers can be costly. Because you may not transfer the last health data, patients have difficulty finding a new provider. This is because health systems typically don’t exchange patient records and don’t want patients to leave their facilities.