Musculoskeletal conditions are among the top expenses for employee
healthcare benefits, accounting for about a third of all worker
injury and illness cases, according to the Occupational Safety and
Health Administration (OSHA).
With healthcare costs projected to rise 4.9% in 2020, according to
Willis Towers Watson, many large companies are ready to try
something new. They plan to spend more upfront to try to prevent
higher costs later on. For conditions like chronic back pain, that
means trying to prevent injuries or treat them with innovative
physical therapy to avoid surgery and potentially, opioid additions.
PREVENTION FIRST
Some companies take a traditional proactive approach, like Rosen
Hotels & Resorts, an Orlando-based chain, which has morning
stretches for hotel staff, a free gym, plus a full-scale primary
care health clinic with a physical therapist and chiropractor.
"Our cost per individual is half what the cost is nationwide," said
Harris Rosen, founder and chief executive. "We know, because we have
lived through it, that if you focus on wellness and health, your
healthcare costs decline."
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Other companies are trying to "appify" their care delivery.
Brakebush Brothers Inc, a chicken processor headquartered in
Wisconsin, turned to a third-party provider, Solveglobal, to crunch
frequent worker surveys about their pains down to a line level on a
specific shift, according to Matt VanderKooi, chief operating
officer at Solveglobal.
One time they solved a rash of low back pain problems by figuring
out that workers were reaching too much at a specific spot. Another
time they could find no common source for random physical complaints
from workers on a shift, but were able to identify that the problems
were caused by work stress from a new supervisor.
Savings: $1 million this past year, said VanderKooi.
Post Holdings Inc. is using the service Hinge Health, which gives
participants a tablet pre-loaded with exercises specific to their
condition. So far 15% of the 1,200 employees eligible for the pilot
are participating, out of about 8,000 on the U.S. medical plan, said
Karen Little, vice president of payroll and benefits for Post.
Cost savings are not apparent yet, but Little said musculoskeletal
disorders were running about 15% of Post's total healthcare costs.
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Hinge Health fees are based on a multiple of the projected savings
and come with a money-back guarantee.
"Employers like a simple story. We’re avoiding surgeries and that’s
where savings are coming from," said chief executive officer Gabriel
Mecklenburg. "We've never had to pay back a dime."
DIVERSIONARY TACTICS
Typically, people in pain go to a doctor. These new, voluntary
worker benefits depend on promotions and word-of-mouth to get
employees interested.
Physera clients receive email and postcards about medical services.
The company also hosts pop-up clinics, said Dan Rubinstein, chief
executive officer.
Since launching fully in 2019, the free version of the Physera app
has 25,000-plus users, along with 1,000 participants in the full
corporate program.
Physera measures success based on actions and improvement. Users are
asked what steps they are likely to take - like getting an MRI. Out
of 100 patients, a handful consider surgery and ultimately decide
they do not need it.
"Early physical therapy intervention results in a 30-40% reduction
in spending," said Rubinstein.
For those suffering from painful disorders, any solution seems
better than surgery and opioid prescriptions.
"I’ve been there on lower back pain," said David Chase, author of
"The Opioid Wake-up Call" and co-founder of Health Rosetta. "And we
completely botch it. At some level, plan design can make a
difference."
For Jenna Kreitinger, a 27-year-old veterinary technician from Mesa,
Arizona, the difference has been nothing short of life-changing.
After she used Hinge Health consistently, her chronic spinal pain
dissipated after years of trying many other solutions.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2019/Oct/23/images/ads/current/culligan_sda_daily_FESTIVALS_2017.png)
"Physical therapy was costly, and it was hard to find the time,"
said Kreitinger, who now has a baby and is back to work full-time.
"Just those small changes I made, it has helped me so much."
(Follow us @ReutersMoney or at http://www.reuters.com/finance/personal-finance.
Editing by Lauren Young and David Gregorio)
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