Delivering High-Value Musculoskeletal Care - A Virtual Care Solution That Preserves In-Person Physical Therapy Volume

Area of Science:

• Healthcare management
• Rehabilitation medicine
• Digital health

Background:

• Musculoskeletal conditions pose challenges, including high costs and chronic pain.
• Barriers like accessibility and cost limit patient engagement in conservative treatments such as physical therapy.
• Virtual musculoskeletal care offers a potential solution to improve access to rehabilitation services.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a third-party virtual musculoskeletal care platform on healthcare utilization.
• To assess if virtual care can overcome barriers to noninvasive rehabilitation services.

Main Methods:

• A pilot study was conducted using an insured population.
• A third-party virtual platform was implemented to facilitate virtual musculoskeletal care.
• Healthcare utilization data (in-person and virtual visits) was analyzed.

Main Results:

• The integration of virtual musculoskeletal care did not decrease in-person visits.
• The virtual solution increased the total number of combined (virtual and in-person) visits.
• It is plausible that virtual care engaged patients who would not have accessed in-person therapy.

Conclusions:

• Virtual musculoskeletal care may expand access to rehabilitation for certain patient groups.
• Further research is needed to determine if virtual care reduces long-term healthcare costs and utilization.
• The study highlights the potential of digital health solutions in managing musculoskeletal conditions.