STAMFORD, CT - January 7, 2025 – Upswing Health, a leader in virtual musculoskeletal (MSK) population health management, and the State of Connecticut Health Plan (SOCHP) today announced results from an analysis conducted by the State of Connecticut Health Plan's independent analytics vendor, the Segal Company. The data revealed that for members utilizing Upswing Health’s services, the health plan experienced 56% savings in MSK-related costs per member per month (PMPM), compared to a matched cohort of non-participants. Upswing also achieved a Net Promoter Score of 85, a strong indicator of an outstanding member experience.
“These results are a testament to the power of our model,” said Dr. Jay Kimmel, Co-Founder and CEO of Upswing Health. “By combining innovative technology with human expertise, we’re not only delivering superior care but also driving significant cost savings for our clients. This analysis confirms our ability to create value for both our patients and plan sponsors alike.”
Upswing Health’s all-virtual MSK care model leverages advanced AI-assisted symptom assessment technology with athletic trainers and orthopedic specialists to deliver personalized and cost-effective care for low and medium acuity MSK problems the moment they occur. By proactively addressing MSK issues, Upswing reduces the need for more costly interventions while improving health outcomes. To study the effectiveness of the Upswing solution, Segal compared the costs and outcomes of Upswing participants before and after enrolling in Upswing as well as against a control group of non-participants to adjust for selection bias using a Coarsened Exact Matching methodology.
Key findings of the study include:
Though baseline MSK-related costs for the Upswing population and the non-Upswing control group were closely aligned, the MSK-related trend for Upswing enrollees (including all Upswing program costs) decreased by 35.9% in the year following enrollment, compared to a 36.4% increase for those in the control group.
Upswing participants had higher baseline Emergency Room utilization (pre-Upswing enrollment) than non-participants (54.1 per 1,000 vs. 34.7 per 1,000). Despite this, Upswing participants in this analysis subsequently had no Emergency Room visits in the measurement period post-enrollment vs. 38.3 per 1,000 for non-participants.
Upswing participants used opioids far less than non-participants, an encouraging sign that members are using the therapy techniques and not addictive prescription drugs to manage pain.