Comprehensive Patient Engagement Platform Helps Cut Surgery-Related Costs

Consumer-oriented health care is somewhat of a catchphrase in today’s world of patient care. It seems to be desirable to every stakeholder from the patient, to the physician, to the hospital. But, it is a bit like fog. You know it when you see it, but you have a really hard time putting your arms around it.  A small Utah company, Orca, may provide a pathway with their platform. 

From their perspective, Orca feels that there is basically a three-step process. The first step is to create a more engaging patient experience… and that does not mean that you should start with remodeling the hospital gift shop! Engagement is creating a bond that involves your brand as well as a close enough relationship so that you might influence treatment; and that often means changing behavior to drive better outcomes. Second, Orca also feels that you must manage clinical practice variation, which in many ways involves the instruction that the patient receives. Third, Orca feels that there must be a mechanism to continuously improve quality.

They have built a platform that assists physicians in all three of these processes. 

The foundation for their platform is sophisticated 3D Animation software that literally allows the patient to see the problem with their own eyes.  Their platform includes easy-to-understand diagrams, graphs, picture,s and of course the all important three-dimensional images that the patient can manipulate to better visualize the anatomy as well as the pathology.

They have built into their platform a wide variety of medical conditions, but to keep it simple, lets talk about a common orthopedic problem.  Imagine you have had shoulder pain for some time and the orthopedic surgeon has diagnosed a torn rotator cuff.  Currently most orthopedists will show you a model in the exam room and give you a bunch of facts.  But, if you are like most people, you will only retain a fraction of the information by the time you walk into your home; fact is that portion will be about 15-20%. 

You may have received a handout with some pictures or drawings, but your overall understanding is still deficient. 

Orca has created an amazing 3D picture of the internal joint structures, both normal and for comparison, a torn rotator cuff.  With this platform, you can literally see from all angles the problem area as well as become educated about the cause, possible treatments, complications as well as your role in the healing process.

Their platform also contains rehabilitation exercises and includes handouts, as well as videos.  The videos can include customized and personalized videos done by your own physician.  And all of this material is available from the comfort of your home, 24/7. 

Further building on the rotator cuff injury, your physician can pre-load his or her care plan, surveys, reminders, and numerous other communications.  Their platform supports patient reported outcome measures, satisfaction surveys and it assists with MACRA, MIPS, the Advanced Practice Model and other CMS mandated reporting requirements.
Orca has proven a significant reduction in costs, improved retention, increased comprehension, improved decision-making, enhanced comfort with their decision, better outcomes and better satisfaction and did I mention reduced costs?

But not all of the benefits of their platform accrue to the patient. Orca has been able to demonstrate a 30% reduction in the time needed for the surgery consultation, an increase in new patient scheduling ability, a 2 day reduction in the average time to surgery, and better surgical pathway selection. 

None of us relishes the idea of a surgical procedure. The pain, inconvenience, recovery time, rehabilitation, problems understanding the overall treatment plan… all of these cause fear and indecision and ultimately decreased overall adherence and diminish the achievable outcomes. 

Orca has demonstrated that with the use of a comprehensive patient engagement platform, which includes 3D animation, they can help physicians improve all steps in the road to a consumer centric health care practice.