Bricks and clicks: reimagining MSK care
Duncan Sibson, Krish Maypole
As the pandemic placed pressure on different parts of the healthcare system, use of telehealth skyrocketed. Demand for virtual care offerings soared. Digital health companies raised a record $14.1B in 2020 to support their work. A boom started.
In 2021, the boom is still going strong. By the end of Q3, digital health companies had raised more than $20B, shattering last year’s record with three months still to go.
In the musculoskeletal (MSK) space, it’s been a good year for digital physical therapy companies, which have raised over $1.2B to support people with MSK conditions (half of American adults). Thanks to the rapid pace of innovation in this area, existing digital health tools can help people with mild and sometimes moderate MSK challenges without requiring in-person visits to a physician or a physical therapist.
The challenge remains how to help those with more severe MSK conditions, or those who need more than just digital PT. Looking ahead, people will still need in-person connection with their physicians, as well as physical examinations and procedures. Zoom calls can’t fill those voids.
In-person care has remained important: during the height of the pandemic last fall and winter, rates of surgery were on par with pre-pandemic levels. Across the board, people have moved away from telehealth, especially within orthopedics.
Digital-only solutions just aren’t enough, but many companies are doubling down on point solutions like digital PT. And stacking multiple point solutions on top of each other won’t create a comprehensive solution, either. Point solutions fall short, and a comprehensive solution is the only way forward.
That said, digital PT can be a valuable tool for helping people conquer their pain. Centers of excellence can be reservoirs for new technologies and talented physicians, places people go when they need surgery. We’re also lucky to have talented individual doctors throughout our healthcare system, and point solutions provide important building blocks for complete MSK care.
Most people who are seeking care don’t know how to make the blocks fit together. For one, rates of health literacy in the U.S. are low, and the pandemic has likely driven these rates down even further. People need more help than ever understanding their diagnoses, coming up with options, and planning the best way to receive care.
To that end, care navigation is poised to expand across the healthcare system, providing guidance and second opinions to people who might otherwise be overwhelmed. Within cancer care specifically, navigation has proven its merit in guiding people to the right care, linked to increased patient satisfaction and reduced health disparities.
At Icon Health, we use Expert Navigation to solve the all-too-familiar disconnect between costs and outcomes by engaging members. We bring together the best of what the digital boom has to offer with the irreplaceable value of in-person care: empathetic guidance, expert second opinions, and access to the right digital tools and in-person providers for every member's condition.
If your digital PT or remote-only solution isn't cutting it, or you feel the only way to make it work is by adding even more point solutions, call us.
To learn more about Icon Health, please visit www.iconhealthco.com or email hello@iconhealthco.com.