Significant increased demand from people with musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions is a key driver behind Corporé’s move to make digital triage available to the personal injury market for the first time.
The rehabilitation and case management specialist, which is part of Handl Group, is now using digital physiotherapy triage software Phio Access which was developed by antoher part of the group, EQL.
The clinically-led digital support tool aims to enable quick and easy remote access to the most appropriate treatment for people with musculoskeletal injuries.
It also aims to deliver more convenient treatment and better outcomes for patients, quicker resolution of cases and reduced costs for insurers.
How it works:
- Rather than using telephonic triage, patients click on a link and Phio Access then takes their information and analyses their specific needs based on more than 3,000 scenarios
- Phio identifies a recommended treatment option that is then confirmed by a Corporé health professional, which may be:
- no treatment required (as the injury will resolve itself without intervention)
- a course of self-managed exercises at home with telephone support from a physiotherapist,
- an appointment with a physiotherapist
- an escalation for cases where there are significant barriers to recovery
The average cost for a claimant’s physio is £450, but Corporé said it typically reduces this to £350, or £250 through its model. The firm added that robust clinical governance and reviews prevent extended sessions.
Speaking to Health & Protection about the firm’s move, Handl chief commercial officer Chris Chatterton revealed EQL had set about introducing a digital musculoskeletal product right at the start of the pandemic.
“The original idea was to sell it into the health service and they have certainly done that because people haven’t been able to access musculoskeletal services,” he said.
“The NHS shut for people who needed physiotherapy during the lockdowns, so this problem took off in a big way in terms of accessing triaging for what conditions someone had and then determining which care pathway was needed.
“It puts people on waiting lists and got them to self treat, but we had always seen the opportunity to apply it to this business environment, so we built a product with a view that our treatment company Coporé would use it.”
