Hinge Health Announces Expansion to Become the First Digital Musculoskeletal Clinic

In the current state of musculoskeletal (MSK) care, there is a significant disconnect in the continuum of care as self-funded employers and health plans do not have access to a complete solution that offers the full spectrum of MSK treatments. For employers interested in solving their MSK care issues, they have to assemble a collection of disconnected vendors, ranging from prevention and wellness to center of excellence.

Beginning in 2021, this will all change. Recently, Hinge Health, the top-selling MSK solution for employers and health plans, announced the expansion of its digital MSK clinical capabilities to be the first Digital Musculoskeletal Clinic from prevention to post-surgery care.

"Musculoskeletal care is uniquely fractured and hard for employers and members to navigate,” said Daniel Perez, chief executive officer and co-founder of Hinge Health, in an interview with The American Journal of Managed Care® (AJMC®). “Hinge Health has created the first Digital MSK Clinic to bring together best practice care at every stage from prevention to post surgery care.”

The move, which will be rolled out in the first quarter of 2021, will include a dedicated Digital Care Pathways program for members at any stage of their MSK care. Also participating in an interview with AJMC®, Jeffrey Krauss, chief medical officer at Hinge Health and clinical assistant professor at Stanford University, explained that the expansion will “cover a member no matter where they may be on their MSK journey including access to 1-on-1 virtual [physical therapists] and health coaches, and free Expert Medical Opinion focused on avoiding unnecessary elective MSK procedures.”

With the goal of delivering a higher return on investment for clients, the expansion will include a myriad of novel programs, including prevention, acute/episodic, and surgical, which will all compliment Hinge Health’s flagship Chronic Pathway. Chronic Pathway has already been shown to address 75% of MSK spend, is clinically validated to reduce pain by 69%, and avoids 2 in 3 surgeries.

Building on the commitment to avoiding unnecessary care and surgeries, the organization will provide expert medical opinion that will focus on replacing unnecessary elective MSK surgeries with evidence-based conservative care. Moreover, its Digital Care Pathways program will ensure higher utilization of second opinion before members commit to surgery.

As the market leader, Hinge Health serves as the choice of 4 in 5 employers with a digital MSK solution. To efficiently and effectively ensure unlimited access to MSK care for all partnered employers and health plans, the organization will hire an additional 100 plus full-time physical therapists and doctors for 2021.

“We’ve seen positive responses from our nearly 200 enterprise clients, including Boeing who after launching about 6 weeks ago, already has nearly 5000 members on our program,” said Perez.