MUSCULOSKELETAL INJURIES COST AMERICA OVER $1 TRILLION PER YEAR IN TOTAL IMPACT
If that fact does not resonate with any employer, insurer, or physician involved in the care of an injured patient, then they need to find another profession. Injuries are awful. They hurt. They are painful. They can be catastrophic for the patient as well as the employer. Around 2011, The National Academy of Sciences estimated that the costs of musculoskeletal (MSK) injuries, such as workplace injuries and personal injuries will be over $1 Trillion. That figure is most likely even higher now. MSK injuries can lead to pain, disability, depression, and even death. Faced with mounting expenses and an ethical obligation to protect its workers, retail and e-commerce giant Amazon has made a significant investment by exploring solutions to preventing, mitigating, and treating MSK injuries. Amazon has already invested over $1 billion into safety projects and plans to invest even more over the coming years.
The problem with MSK injuries are directly linked to a system that is broken. Large hospital systems with large provider organizations with even larger insurance companies have been stuck in an environment of “too big to change” with mediocre care and virtually no innovation. They simply do not know what they do not know and cannot change what they cannot change. That leads to a plethora of misdiagnoses, inappropriate denials for care (leading to exponentially higher costs, not lower), unnecessary surgeries, inaccurate procedures, excessive medications, and more.
There are approximately 3 million nonfatal workplace injuries per year. The average cost of a worker’s compensation claim is $40,000 (the most expensive being claims which arise from motor vehicle accidents, averaging $80,000 per claim). Many claims are initially falsely denied for a variety of reasons, including “cost savings”. The world’s largest brokerage firm, Lockton, reviewed over 200,000 Work Comp claims and found 67% of denied claims became paid claims within one year. When those same claims transitioned to paid, there was an average 55% increase over the original claim amount.
NATIONAL PAIN CENTERS INNOVATIONS WITH INJURY CARE
For over a decade, National Pain Centers led by Dr. Jay Joshi, MD have been consistently able to diagnose patients quickly and accurately, treat patients with precisely performed procedures and interventions, reduce medications and opioids, address both the musculoskeletal injury as well and the neurochemical central nervous system changes that invariably occur after an injury, and return patients back to the maximal functional status that they can achieve safely. We have been nationally and internationally recognized for our achievements in the field. We can perform well over 100 different diagnostic and therapeutic Interventional Spine and Pain Management procedures precisely. Trust the leaders who treat patients as individuals, not numbers.
At National Pain Centers, we have been pioneers in pain management for years. Those innovations include procedures, techniques, and protocols. Employers, workers compensation insurers, and auto insurance companies are familiar not only with injury costs, but also its toll on the lives of employees in terms of pain and suffering. They are frustrated and seeking answers. Their number one question to us is: “What is your Secret to Controlling Musculoskeletal Injuries and Workers Compensation Costs?”. Our answer is simple: We firmly believe that the best outcomes are inextricably linked to:
An expert physician with solid education, training, procedural coordination, and creative problem solving skills
A good history, imaging, and supporting data
A competent and qualified supporting ancillary care team, including physical therapists, chiropractors, laboratories, mental health professionals, and more
The ability to perform an objective and precise examination (Impossible to do without AI)
TRANSFORMATIVE WHIPLASH INJURY DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT
Dr. Joshi invented the Single Small Gauge Lateral Approach Technique for Cervical Facet Medial Branch Blocks and Radiofrequency Ablation. This procedure has been revolutionary for the diagnosis and treatment of whiplash injury, one of the most common injuries that occur in motor vehicle accidents. This approach is more accurate, safer, significantly less traumatic, more minimally invasive, and gentler than the “traditional” approach. It also avoids the injured muscles, thus making the procedure even more comfortable for the patient and allowing us to make a much more predictive diagnosis. The procedure requires more skill and time, thus, very few physicians are able to preform this procedure correctly or routinely.
SAFER NERVE ROOT PROCEDURES WITH BLUNT NEEDLES
Dr. Joshi is one of the only physicians who is able to perform nerve root procedures using non-traumatic blunt needles. These needles require far greater skill especially when considering that these procedures require millimeter precision. Since they are blunt needles, the safety margins are far greater than super sharp needles, which is what over 99% of physicians use for nerve root procedures. These very sharp needles can injure nerve roots, thus increasing pain and disability. Physicians chose to use the sharp needles because they are easier to use, do not require additional skill compared to blunt needles, and are 90% cheaper compared to the blunt needles. Patients, employers, and insurance companies all want patients to get better, not worse. National Pain Centers can offer that relief without putting the patients at increased risk.
FIRST INTERVENTIONAL PAIN MANAGEMENT PRACTICE TO INCORPORATE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE BASED FULL BODY MUSCULOSKELETAL EXAMINATIONS
In addition to creating and inventing new techniques and using safer devices and equipment, National Pain Centers is transforming the fundamental way that patients are examined both after an injury and even before an injury. We now have the ability to perform MSK examinations using AI to accurately provide the clinician with useful data that can help assess the patient, evaluate the injury, track the patients improvements and change, and predicatively alert the clinician and patient about possible preventable injuries.
Our cloud-based, AI-powered musculoskeletal care automation platform uses over 1000 data points and is continuously improving as more patients are seen. This system can be accessed by the employee/patient at work or from the convenience of their own home. Employees/patients are screened routinely to predict and assess for potential injury. Injured employees are promptly assessed and diagnosed to ensure claims are properly and appropriately approved or denied.
To put this in perspective, this technology is as revolutionary to MSK exams as telemedicine platforms were to virtual visits. We can now empower the patient with data about their body that is unique to their body, like blood work is specific for the patient. Blood work creates actionable data exactly like our AI MSK platform creates actionable, immediate, and longitudinal information. We can empower employers to keep their employees healthier and even prevent injury through early detection and screening. Healthier employees with better insight about their musculoskeletal system are happier employees. Early and correct diagnosis and treatment are critical for better outcomes and reduced costs. Employees and patients will experience fewer injuries, less pain, less disability, and experience greater job satisfaction all of which will lead to lower employee turnover. We empower insurance companies by lowering injury risk and streamlining proper care and pain management after an injury.