Dec 5, 2019
Musculoskeletal issues, otherwise known as MSK issues, account for something like 20% of the cost to any given health plan or employer or anyone else who is paying the bill for health care. That’s like one in every five dollars, which is meaningful when you consider million-dollar drugs and diabetes and all the other things that a purchaser of health care can write checks for. MSK is a big cost kahuna.
In this health care podcast, I talk with Chad Gray, who is the CEO of IMC, Integrated Musculoskeletal Care. Interestingly, Chad says that the problem with MSK in this country isn’t a cost problem usually. It’s a quality problem. It’s a problem of patients getting a whole lot of care that doesn’t actually relieve their symptoms or underlying condition.
This is what MSK care and the 4-minute mile have in common besides the blindingly obvious necessity of healthy bones to run fast. Everybody thought it was impossible for a human to run a 4-minute mile—until somebody did. And once that happened, it was like a dam opened and lots of people began breaking that previously impossible time. It’s conventional wisdom that MSK problems are mostly going to turn into intractable chronic conditions that ultimately result in surgery, which still doesn’t, in many cases, cure the symptoms or underlying problem.
Chad Gray and his team over at IMC may have broken the 4-minute mile when it comes to inventing a systemic approach to MSK care that actually works. Prepare for the dam to burst.
You can learn more at imcpt.com.
Chad Gray, MS, PT, Cert
MDT, is cofounder and CEO of Integrated Musculoskeletal
Care, Inc (IMC), providing outcomes-accountable musculoskeletal
care programs that improve overall health care quality, reduce
costs, and improve patient and employee safety. He has over two
decades of experience as a clinical practitioner and is a widely
recognized entrepreneur, health-benefit design consultant, and
concierge practitioner focused on innovations in musculoskeletal
triage, health care, and self-care.
02:23 How big is musculoskeletal care in terms of health
spend?
03:20 One out of three patients are seeking health care for
musculoskeletal issues.
03:52 EP244 with Lee
Lewis.
05:13 “We don’t really have a cost
problem in this domain; … we have … a quality problem.”
05:30 The increasing populations of chronic condition
categories.
08:19 How to perform precision diagnosis at the macro and micro
level.
09:13 Creating a new standard of care.
09:48 Taking accurate diagnosis and scaling that into best
practices.
10:43 Ensuring that everyone is diagnosing in the same way.
11:24 EP225 with Joe
Selby.
13:50 What precision diagnostic tools
look like to patients and clinicians.
16:17 Tracking data throughout the entire diagnosis and treatment
process, including patient outcomes data.
17:03 Verifying and validating that patients are progressing better
through IMC’s system.
19:20 The dramatic shift in quality and cost within this
standardized care model.
20:43 “The single most common reason for an opioid prescription …
is low-back pain.”
21:40 Why we are so behind on improving musculoskeletal care across
the country.
23:50 Why there are such huge gaps in capability and understanding
within musculoskeletal care.
24:38 “What’s broken? Why is it broken? How do we fix it? Once we
fix it, what does it look like?”
27:06 IMC—Integrated Musculoskeletal Care—and the system they’ve
developed to standardize musculoskeletal care and create precision
diagnosis.
28:18 Identifying outliers.
28:40 IMC’s continuous feedback loop to show providers the quality
metrics.
29:24 Preventing data pollution.
31:19 Connecting to employer-sponsored plans and other
payer/provider organizations.
You can learn more at imcpt.com.
Check out our newest #healthcarepodcast with Chad Gray of #IntegratedMusculoskeletalCare, as he talks standardizing one of health care’s biggest issues. #musculoskeletalcare #healthcare #podcast #digitalhealth #healthspend #healthoutcomes
How big is #musculoskeletal #care in terms of health spend? Chad Gray of #IntegratedMusculoskeletalCare discusses. #healthcarepodcast #musculoskeletalcare #healthcare #podcast #digitalhealth #healthspend #healthoutcomes
One out of three #patients are seeking help with #musculoskeletal issues. Chad Gray of #IntegratedMusculoskeletalCare discusses. #healthcarepodcast #musculoskeletalcare #healthcare #podcast #digitalhealth #healthspend #healthoutcomes
“We don’t really have a cost problem in this domain; … we have … a quality problem.” Chad Gray of #IntegratedMusculoskeletalCare discusses. #healthcarepodcast #musculoskeletalcare #healthcare #podcast #digitalhealth #healthspend #healthoutcomes
Why are the populations of #chroniccondition categories increasing? Chad Gray of #IntegratedMusculoskeletalCare discusses. #healthcarepodcast #musculoskeletalcare #healthcare #podcast #digitalhealth #healthspend #healthoutcomes
Performing precision #diagnosis at the macro and micro levels. Chad Gray of #IntegratedMusculoskeletalCare discusses. #healthcarepodcast #musculoskeletalcare #healthcare #podcast #digitalhealth #healthspend #healthoutcomes
Creating a new standard of care. Chad Gray of #IntegratedMusculoskeletalCare discusses. #healthcarepodcast #musculoskeletalcare #healthcare #podcast #digitalhealth #healthspend #healthoutcomes
Scaling accurate diagnosis into best practice. Chad Gray of #IntegratedMusculoskeletalCare discusses. #healthcarepodcast #musculoskeletalcare #healthcare #podcast #digitalhealth #healthspend #healthoutcomes
What do precision #diagnostictools look like to #patients and #clinicians? Chad Gray of #IntegratedMusculoskeletalCare discusses. #healthcarepodcast #musculoskeletalcare #healthcare #podcast #digitalhealth #healthspend #healthoutcomes
Tracking #healthdata throughout the entire #diagnosis and #treatment process. Chad Gray of #IntegratedMusculoskeletalCare discusses. #healthcarepodcast #musculoskeletalcare #healthcare #podcast #digitalhealth #healthspend #healthoutcomes
“The single most common reason for an #opioid prescription … is low-back pain.” Chad Gray of #IntegratedMusculoskeletalCare discusses. #healthcarepodcast #musculoskeletalcare #healthcare #podcast #digitalhealth #healthspend #healthoutcomes
“What’s broken? Why is it broken? How do we fix it? Once we fix it, what does it look like?” Chad Gray of #IntegratedMusculoskeletalCare discusses. #healthcarepodcast #musculoskeletalcare #healthcare #podcast #digitalhealth #healthspend #healthoutcomes
Why there are such huge gaps in capability and understanding within musculoskeletal care. Chad Gray of #IntegratedMusculoskeletalCare discusses. #healthcarepodcast #musculoskeletalcare #healthcare #podcast #digitalhealth #healthspend #healthoutcomes