Digital care management platform helps Community Hospital of The Monterey Peninsula achieve 26.3% decrease in readmissions
NEW YORK, Jan. 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Force Therapeutics announced today that its episode-based digital care management platform helped Community Hospital of The Monterey Peninsula, an acute care hospital in California, significantly reduce readmissions following total joint arthroplasty (TJA) procedures. These surgeries include total knee arthroplasty (TKA), total hip arthroplasty (THA), total hip arthroplasty anterior (THAA), and total hip arthroplasty using a posterior lateral approach (THA PLA).
The study examined readmission rates before and after implementation of the Force care management platform, which serves as a digital tether between patients and their care teams throughout an episode of care. The platform educates patients on how to identify infection and other recovery complications, and enables an individualized postoperative care plan, including virtual physical therapy to expedite the recovery process.
The correlation between readmission rates and platform engagement was also analyzed by procedure and by surgeon. Highly engaged patients—those who logged into the platform more than 24 times during their 90-day episodes of care—were far less likely to be readmitted than less engaged patients, especially for THA procedures. In a retrospective review of readmission data before and after the implementation of the Force platform, Community Hospital of The Monterey Peninsula realized a more than 26% decrease in readmission rates for all TJA surgeries, independent of surgeon variability.
"Given the number of factors that contribute to a patient's readmission after surgery, it can be difficult to prevent non-emergent readmissions," said Dr. Steven Cabrales, vice president and chief medical officer at Community Hospital of The Monterey Peninsula. "We're thrilled to have seen such a significant reduction in our TJA readmission rates in just one year. By providing solid preoperative education and timely communication between patients and their care teams, the Force platform has helped us improve not only the patient experience, but also our clinical outcomes."
The Force platform teaches patients how to properly care for their wounds to prevent infection and identify blood clots, and patients can send pictures and messages to their care teams within the app for an immediate response. Postoperative patients complete custom outcome forms to assess their levels of pain, comfort, and functional mobility, which help care teams identify at-risk patients who require further support or intervention. In addition to reducing readmissions, the Force platform also reduces unnecessary outpatient services, helping clients realize an average savings of $2,100 per patient throughout a musculoskeletal episode.
"With the pandemic in full force, it's more important than ever to keep vulnerable patients out of the hospital," said Bronwyn Spira, founder and CEO of Force Therapeutics. "We're proud to partner with Community Hospital of The Monterey Peninsula to help patients adhere to their evidence-based care plans, achieve their recovery goals, and stay in good health."
About Force Therapeutics
Founded in 2010, Force Therapeutics is the leading patient engagement platform and research network designed to help clinicians intelligently extend their reach. The Force platform leverages video and digital connections to directly engage patients at every step of the care journey – from the point of surgery scheduling to post-op recovery and beyond. Backed by millions of clinically validated patient data points and insights from more than 70 leading healthcare centers across the country, Force Therapeutics is proven to drive more effective recovery, lower costs, and improve patient outcomes and satisfaction.
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