By Gus P. Georgiadis, President & CEO GG Advisors. Former Area Chairman of the Gallagher Benefit Services operations in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and upstate New York, founder and President of Triad USA, Inc., and Executive Vice President for Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield.
Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions account for nearly $1 in every $6 spent on healthcare in the United States. Beyond the staggering costs, these conditions profoundly impact people's daily lives, limiting their mobility, productivity, and overall well-being.
Current solutions, even those introduced in the last three years, have not effectively bent the cost curve nor substantially improved outcomes for patients with chronic knee and back pain. Unfortunately, 50% of knee osteoarthritis patients and around 5% of chronic back pain sufferers eventually undergo major surgery at huge expense.
Employers, payors, and healthcare providers need a fresh approach: one that disrupts the standard care pathway by focusing on early intervention, precision patient identification, and treatments that deliver sustainable, cost-effective outcomes.
Shifting to a Strategic, Patient-focused Approach
Smart businesses invest in their employees for retention and, ultimately, long-term value. Applying this mindset to MSK care means:
- Early intervention to prevent costly and invasive future procedures.
- Prioritizing treatments with lasting results rather than temporary fixes.
- Eliminating ineffective, repetitive treatments that inflate costs without clear benefits.
Delivering genuine value-based care requires identifying the right patients at the right time for the optimal treatment. This can be effectively achieved through analysis of claims data, virtual care screening, and validation through in-person assessments.
Once appropriate patients are identified, an effective solution must rapidly improve function, reduce pain, and deliver durable results where insurers only need to fund it once.
Introducing Apos®
Apos® offers an innovative, precision medicine approach that addresses MSK issues at their root causes through personalized gait modification.
Clinical studies and real-world data consistently highlight the transformative, durable impact of Apos®:
- 89% fewer elective knee replacement surgeries over six years.
- 43% reduction in MSK-related healthcare expenses in just one year.
- 70% improvement in knee pain and 56% in lower back pain.
- Significant reduction in medication dependency: 61% less pain medication use and 85% less opioid use.
Peer-reviewed and published claims analyses demonstrate a return on investment, saving roughly $3,689 per patient annually. Beyond cost savings, adopting Apos® may contribute to reduced employee absenteeism, higher productivity, and greater patient satisfaction.
Simple Integration, Measurable Outcomes
Apos® can be easily incorporated into existing healthcare and wellbeing programs. Their approach to patient identification leverages claims data and targeting, virtual administration, and in-person clinical evaluation for the right patients. This targeted approach maximizes resources and improves patient outcomes, aligning perfectly with value-based care principles.
The Bottom Line: Investing Strategically for Long-term Gains
Continuing reliance on traditional MSK treatments is no longer financially sustainable or clinically effective.
For payors, brokers, and employers, transitioning to innovative solutions like Apos® represents a strategic shift toward measurable, long-term improvements in patient health and healthcare economics.
To learn more please visit https://www.aposhealth.com/benefit-leaders-and-health-plans/
References:
- https://consultqd.clevelandclinic.org/musculoskeletal-disease-causes-most-disability-healthcare-spending-in-u-s-but-gets-less-than-2-of-nih-research-funds
- Benn R, Rawson L, Phillips A. Utilising a non-surgical intervention in the knee osteoarthritis care pathway: a 6-year retrospective audit on NHS patients. Therapeutic Advances in Musculoskeletal Disease. 2023;15.
- J Health Econ Outcomes Res. 2024 May 16;11(1):134-140. doi: 10.36469/001c.117155. eCollection 2024.
- Reichenbach et al., JAMA (2020): 70% pain reduction with Apos® vs. 35% in controls
- Clinical Outcomes of a New Foot-Worn Non-Invasive Biomechanical Intervention Compared to Traditional Physical Therapy in Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain. A Randomized Clinical Trial, https://doi.org/10.1177/21925682251314823