In the modern healthcare landscape, surgical episodes no longer begin and end within the four walls of a hospital. Today, successful outcomes hinge on what happens between appointments, in patients’ homes, and across a broader, more continuous episode of care. Central to this shift is the role of patient engagement.
Patient engagement is fast becoming a core driver of outcomes, cost efficiency, and care quality. For hospitals, health systems, and ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) navigating the pressures of value-based care and the growing demand for hybrid service models, investing in meaningful engagement strategies is no longer optional. It is foundational.
Engagement Aligns the Entire Episode Around Outcomes
Every surgical episode is a journey, not simply an individual intervention. It begins with patient selection and preoperative planning, extends through the procedure itself, and continues into recovery and rehabilitation. Engaged patients move through this journey with clarity, confidence, and accountability. Disengaged patients, on the other hand, may miss pre-op instructions, delay exercises, misunderstand expectations, or fail to report symptoms early, all of which can increase the risk of cancellations, complications, and readmissions.
At Force Therapeutics, we've seen firsthand how embedding engagement tools at every phase of care improves both the patient experience and the clinical trajectory.
The Central Role of Education in Engagement
Education is not just a feature of engagement; it is the mechanism by which it is achieved. Patients recovering from surgery must navigate complex decisions, follow strict care plans, and assess symptoms accurately. Without clear, accessible information, even the most motivated individuals can fall short.
Historically, education meant printed discharge packets and verbal instructions. These are easy to forget and hard to reference. Today, digital tools enable hospitals to deliver evidence-based, personalized content at the exact moment it is needed. Force Therapeutics offers clinically validated video education, procedure-specific rehab guides, and proactive prompts that patients can access 24/7. This dynamic approach reduces confusion, boosts adherence, and makes patients feel informed and in control.
It also drives performance on national mandates. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) requirements, like the THA/TKA PRO-PM and TEAM model, demand both outcomes tracking and cost containment. Education supports both. When patients know what to expect, they are more likely to complete pre- and post-op PROMs and less likely to require costly post-acute services like skilled nursing facilities (SNF) or in-person physical therapy.
Supporting Remote and Hybrid Care Models
As digital and remote care models are increasingly utilized for suitable patients, patient engagement becomes even more essential. In traditional care, a patient might ask a question during a follow-up visit or speak with a nurse by phone. In remote models, the quality of recovery depends on what the patient sees, understands, and chooses to do outside the hospital, ASC, or clinic.
Force Therapeutics bridges this gap by providing daily check-ins, tracking recovery metrics, and enabling bidirectional communication between patients and care teams. Patients can share wound images, report pain levels, or ask questions. Care teams can intervene early, prioritize outreach, and avoid unnecessary in-person visits. The result is a scalable model of care that retains the personal touch.
Our platform’s 89% average patient opt-in rate and 96% patient support satisfaction underscore that patients are ready for this kind of engagement when it’s done right.
Engagement Powers Compliance, Efficiency, and Quality
For hospitals and health systems, patient engagement is also an operational advantage. By automating outreach, collecting outcomes data, and delivering care plans digitally, providers reduce administrative burden and free up time for high-value care. Each care team member using Force saves 4 to 8 hours per week on manual tasks like survey follow-ups or paperwork distribution. In fact, a recent survey demonstrated that a majority of providers using Force saved more than 6 hours each week.
This level of efficiency becomes critical in high-volume service lines like orthopedics, where scaling care without sacrificing quality is a daily challenge. And as reimbursement becomes increasingly tied to outcomes and experience, engagement becomes a key performance indicator in its own right.
Integrating Engagement Across the Organization
Effective patient engagement is not a siloed function. It must be integrated into the broader clinical and operational strategy. That means embedding it into care pathways, aligning it with quality metrics, and ensuring seamless electronic health record (EHR) interoperability. It also means delivering engagement tools that support, rather than disrupt, existing workflows.
Force Therapeutics delivers on this promise with intelligent care pathways, customizable smart tasks, and robust reporting dashboards. Whether you’re a nurse navigator managing daily touchpoints or an executive tracking organizational performance, the same platform powers care continuity and strategic insight.
Engagement is Not a Feature. It’s a Foundation.
In modern care episodes, patient engagement is not an add-on. It is the foundation that holds every phase of care together. It informs education, drives adherence, prevents complications, and supports long-term recovery. It is how hospitals meet CMS mandates, retain patients in home-based care models, and demonstrate value in a competitive landscape.
At Force, we believe that when patients are truly engaged, better outcomes follow, clinically, operationally, and financially.
Ready to learn how Force helps hospitals engage patients, exceed quality mandates, and scale digital care with confidence? Book a demo today:
