One of the difficulties of dealing with chronic health conditions, for example musculoskeletal, is that treatment requires pulling together a lot of information from a variety of sources. “People are dealing with multi providers and fragmented care,” explains Bill Gianoukos, co-founder and CEO of Goodpath.
After a family health situation that involved seeking solutions from various sources in the middle of a crisis, Gianoukos knew he had to do something. As a serial entrepreneur who has made a career out of taking complex situations and finding easy-to-use solutions, Gianoukos knew he could do the same for the complex healthcare system.
He chose to focus his efforts on dealing with three specific health issues; musculoskeletal, digestive, and sleep. According to an International Foundation report in 2019, "Workplace Wellness Trends", musculoskeletal conditions, which include back or neck pain, is the costliest condition for employers. While traditionally a problem for those whose jobs include physical labor, increasingly these conditions are showing up for sedentary workers as well. And 2021 will see even higher costs for these types of ailments, according to Gianoukos. He cites a recent study out of California that is predicting costs due to these conditions will be three times as high this year as in previous years.
How The System Works
“The key to our program is to provide personalized programs that include a holistic approach in that we offer a range of treatments that include traditional medical treatments but also nutrition and lifestyle solutions,” Gianoukos explains. “And all of this is found at a single source available on a mobile app.”
The company sees itself as the bridge between medical information and technology. Medical experts across a variety of specialties create a personalized wellness plan. The clinical information that is recommended is reviewed by physicians and pharmacists. It’s then put into the company’s system, based on assessment and algorithms and turned into an individualized care program, using data gained from an assessment filled out by the patient. The assessment, which takes a short time to complete and is available on a mobile platform, asks around 50 questions.
“We combine the best of medicine with the best of technology and make it easy for people to treat their chronic conditions seamlessly, ” says Gianoukos.
The program also includes a coach that keeps in close touch with patients to help them manage care and sometimes more importantly answers questions that often go unasked during medical appointments.
Cost Savings
Companies that have used this program are usually those that are self-insured and have over 800 employees, says Gianoukos. The two-year-old company has given around 45,000 employee assessments and results have been good for both the company and employees. Looking specifically at back pain, after three months of this integrative care, four out of five people had less pain, according to Goodpath’s study. Savings for the company results in fewer visits to health professionals as well as reduced pharmacy spend. Other results include reduced absenteeism and increased productivity.
Future Forward Treatment
One question that comes up regarding integrative care is that of the use of supplements. While most Americans have been taking supplements for their health for years, when it’s part of a medical program, people have questions. “All of the supplements used in our program have been approved by our entire medical team and are based on clinical data and research,” Gianoukos says.
Supplements and other aspects of the program such as lifestyle management are especially appealing to younger workers. In a study called, Millennials Matter: How to Engage and Build Loyalty, the results showed that "Millennials want support for traditional things like physical activity, nutrition and controlling/managing an existing condition, but the vast majority also say it is important that their provider offers support for non-traditional aspects of health.”
And as employers are also looking for ways to retain employees it seems that this method of addressing wellbeing, which is another way of defining integrative medicine, is one that can help. " Supporting holistic health will not only help meet the expectations of these younger adults; it can also help retain them.” The study found that the "vast majority (88%) of Millennials said they’d feel a greater sense of loyalty to providers if they supported total wellbeing."
As his company continues to grow and provide positive outcomes for both employees and employers, Gianoukos sees this method of using technology to make all available information to patients in a manner that provides a complete view of managing chronic conditions as one of the best and highest uses of technology.
