Digital musculoskeletal program is associated with decreased joint replacement rates

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Digital Health
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of disability, often managed with physical therapy or surgery.
• Total joint arthroplasty (TKA and THA) are common surgical interventions for advanced knee and hip OA.
• Digital musculoskeletal (MSK) programs offer an alternative or adjunct to traditional care pathways.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare 12-month total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and total hip arthroplasty (THA) rates for digital MSK program members versus patients receiving traditional care for knee or hip OA.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective, longitudinal study using commercial medical claims data from over 100 million lives.
• Propensity score matching was used to compare digital MSK program members with a control group receiving traditional care.
• Participants with knee OA (M17.x) or hip OA (M16.x) were identified, and TKA/THA rates at 12 months post-enrollment were analyzed.

Main Results:

• In the knee OA cohort, digital MSK program participants had a 10.42% lower TKA rate (3.79% vs 14.21%, P < .001) at 12 months.
• In the hip OA cohort, digital MSK program participants had a 16.31% lower THA rate (16.31% vs 32.62%, P = .001) at 12 months.

Conclusions:

• Digital MSK programs are associated with reduced rates of total joint arthroplasty for knee and hip osteoarthritis.
• These findings suggest digital MSK programs can be effective in managing OA and potentially decreasing surgical intervention rates.