Highlighting a Healthcare Innovator Offering Outcomes-Accountable Musculoskeletal Care

At a World Congress event in 2015, I discuss a Central IQ client that won the Validation Institute’s Health Value Awards by offering pay-for-performance (P4P) programs to Capital Health Plan and outcomes-based compensation models to self-insured healthcare purchasers (e.g., activist employers like General Dynamics and Michelin North America). Integrated Mechanical Care (now Integrated Musculoskeletal Care) pioneered and continues to offer (1) a groundbreaking JointStrong prevention program, (2) a triage program centered on response-based assessments, and (3) an outcomes-accountable conservative care program.

“This is a remarkable, small company. The company has developed a musculoskeletal solution that has outcomes…unprecedented in the industry. The company has a reliable assessment process, a care strategy, and a case management strategy—all quality assured. The approach results in more than 75% of individuals getting better in six visits or less (which is usually six weeks or less). And 15% more get well in the next three months. There are fewer than 10%—usually 3% to 10%—who might need escalation to other types of caregivers, but the vast majority are resolved right in the clinic. It’s very unusual to find a solution that is very low cost, very easy on the patients, and very low tech….and that is able to have unprecedented outcomes. I think a lot of us had begun to believe that we (would) have to have very high-cost and invasive interventions to get better. This is one of those delightful organizations that is showing that is not necessarily. In Tallahassee, there is a very high-quality HMO that for some years had been having challenge of being ranked (I believe) at the 95th percentile in the nation in terms of (number) of orthopedic surgeries (per capita). They had a tremendous number of orthopedic surgeries. This clinic was able to go in and help them dramatically reduce the number of orthopedic surgeries—(all) while maintaining patient satisfaction rates of 97% and higher. So the whole community has had an enormous lift (in community well-being). The incidence and prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders have dropped—and the health of the population has risen dramatically. And it has benefited the employers in the region, socioeconomic development in the region, and, of course, the HMO. This is a solution that addresses maybe 10% to 20% of the healthcare spend for Fortune 500 companies. So let’s say a Fortune 500 company is spending $300 million in their Group Health (expenditure). This would be addressing 10% to 20% of that, so $30 million to $60 million. And the solution is guaranteed to save 25%, so it can save easily $15 millionfor an employer within 12 months. I give a lot of credit to employers, especially those who are self-insured. They’ve been looking for solutions for a long time. I think the challenge has been that it’s been hard to find (such) solutions. So, when we are introduced to employers, they are very interested. It’s hard to find a solution with a guaranteed sets of set of outcomes. And, in addition to the outcomes we have around the cost of musculoskeletal care, we guarantee patient satisfaction at 97% or higher and functional improvements of 25% to 60% and pain reductions of 60% or more—and all of that very rapidly in the first six weeks. So we are well-received by employers. I think they have very savvy folks working for them who are interested in the well-being of their employees and their productive capacity, as well. We’re able to help with earnings. And there’s a very human story around musculoskeletal disorders.  Most of the adult population eventually suffers from these. In any given year, it’s 30% or more. And this is a solution that can help all of those people. So it’s a solution with widespread favorable implications that enable people get back to get back to the lives they love. That’s a very heartwarming and wonderful solution…with a nice economic story, too.”