Virtual physical therapy company IncludeHealth has inked a partnership with OrthoForum Value Network to expand the reach of its digital musculoskeletal care solution to more providers and patients.
The collaboration designates IncludeHealth as OVN's preferred partner for digital technology and virtual physical therapy, leveraging IncludeHealth's computer vision technology to deliver an integrated solution that extends physician-led MSK care, according to the companies.
Launched in 2018, IncludeHealth's platform digitizes physical therapy and delivers personalized, measured and interactive care directly through patients' phones, tablets or laptops without additional hardware, sensors or downloads. The platform, a Class II registered device with the FDA, is web-based, device-agnostic and harnesses body-tracking tech with clinical intelligence and tools for virtual MSK care. The company works with employers, health plans and providers.
"Our goal is to leverage technology to make care more accessible. We look at that through the lens of both logistics and also economics," said Ryan Eder, founder and CEO of IncludeHealth, in an interview with Fierce Healthcare. "We leverage the power of web AI and computer vision to make care scalable and accessible and break some of the dependencies on synchronous care delivery to make care very convenient for the patients, but also very cost-effective for those paying for that care."
IncludeHealth's approach is to partner with provider networks to collaborate on comprehensive care rather than positioning itself as a virtual replacement for in-person care.
The company also designed its technology to enable automated, digital collection of patient-reported outcomes measures, measured functional tests, range of motion and remote therapeutic monitoring.
OVN is a clinically integrated network encompassing 150 independent orthopedic groups, 5,000 physicians and 4,500 therapists across 45 states with a focus on MSK value-based care delivery.
"What we set out to do is preserve independent medicine and develop a comprehensive musculoskeletal solution that meets the needs of employers and other purchasing organizations. How can we provide those employees with appropriate timely access to high-quality providers right there in their own communities? We have more than 2,500 locations, whether it's clinics, PT clinics, urgent care facilities and outpatient surgery centers, but what got us excited about the partnership with IncludeHealth is that they are aligned with our mission to deliver superior value-based care," Heath Kirschner, executive director of OVN, said during an interview. "We're also focused on, 'How do we use technology as an extension of our physician-led, therapy-led care within the community?'"
Kirschner added, "This partnership with IncludeHealth allows us to leverage their innovative technology and their computer vision, and the way they're collecting data to ensure that we're providing high-quality care, but still be able to have it physician-led and have it be an extension of our practices."
"Extension is the key word, versus replacement," Eder noted. "Patients needs a variety of different care options to treat musculoskeletal conditions. Patients' needs can range from PT to injections to medication to surgery and imaging. Some of that can be done virtually and some cannot. Point solutions, whether that's in-person or virtual, don't work across that whole spectrum and that is what's exciting about this collaboration. It's about the right care at the right time and the right place."
OVN will integrate IncludeHealth's technology into its network. IncludeHealth and OVN will pair individuals with a dedicated physical therapist to set up a virtual evaluation to understand their goals and challenges, then create a tailored plan specific to their needs. A link to their plan is then sent via a text or email and can be accessed on any device with a web browser and front-facing camera. Members' interactive plan delivers step-by-step instructions with real-time feedback and guidance. IncludeHealth's computer vision measures their movement and shares their results with their physical therapist to monitor their progress.
The partnership provides better access for patients while addressing the economic challenges facing employers with rising healthcare costs, Kirschner and Eder said.
MSK care impacts an estimated 126.6 million individuals in the U.S. MSK medical spend is a top cost driver for many employers. Current estimates indicate that the U.S. spends close to $1 trillion ($980 billion) for MSK treatment and lost wages, according to one analysis.
Nearly 1 in 3 people in the U.S. have an MSK disorder, which are the leading causes of disability and account for nearly 10% of medical spending in the U.S., according to an analysis from Peterson Health Technology Institute. Since 2010, more than $38 billion has been invested in companies offering MSK solutions, including mergers and acquisitions.
The partnership with IncludeHealth enables OVN to expand its value-based efforts and arrangements with employers and third-party administrators by leveraging technology, Kirschner said. Employers and primary care networks are showing an increased interest in value-based arrangements, he noted.
The partnership between OVN and IncludeHealth offers an integrated solution with transparent pricing, Eder said.
"It comes down to access and increasing the patient's ability to access care, whether they have limitations with being able to drive to the physical therapy clinic or they live a far distance from one of our providers. The technology allows us to increase access and ensure that we're providing that high-quality care throughout the continuum of care," Kirschner said.
"It's access and appropriateness," Eder added. "It's access to that whole spectrum of services. Virtual PT is not going to be for everyone. Not everyone needs surgery and not everyone needs imaging. So, it's about, can you thread all these together in a way that is as accessible physically and digitally as possible?"
IncludeHealth was initially focused on providing a MSK operating system that any provider can use to offer integrated virtual physical care for MSK patients. In 2020, the company began collaborating with Google to train its computer vision models for clinical accuracy. That enhanced technology was first previewed at the 2021 Google I/O conference.
Starting last year, the company began treating patients directly as a virtual provider, Eder said.
As technology and artificial intelligence evolves, many health tech companies are looking at how to leverage AI to enhance services and capabilities. IncludeHealth will continue to invest in technology and innovation, Eder said, but with a focus on augmenting clinicians and physicians.
"We're big believers in technology and its ability to expand reach to patients. We don't believe that technology will replace clinicians; we believe it'll supercharge them and it's going to extend their reach," he said. "The bottom line is improving access. Our goal is to do that in the most scalable, secure and safe way possible. It goes back to our foundation of being able to use web-based technologies and web AI in way that it can be sent to anyone with links, so you're just removing the technological barriers of accessing that solution."
A recent analysis from the Peterson Health Technology Institute gave high marks to virtual physical therapy services for improving patient outcomes and cutting healthcare costs.
The organization's analysis evaluated eight virtual MSK solutions and found that the solutions deliver clinically meaningful improvements in both pain and functional status.