Force Therapeutics, a remote monitoring startup serving patients recovering from orthopedic procedures, has inked a two-year contract with Northwell Health, previously known as North Shore Long Island Jewish Health System, according to a press release. The health system includes 21 hospitals and more than 550 outpatient facilities.
“We see immense potential in the applications of the software platform because we can quickly address many of the main causes of complications before, during and after joint replacement surgery,” said Dr. Giles Scuderi, vice president of Northwell’s orthopedic service line.
The Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement program is a bundled payment program that holds hospitals accountable for the care they provide Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries from surgery through recovery. Companies like Force Therapeutics not only support patient recovery from home, but also provide insight to physicians on patient progress between appointments. The idea is they can intervene earlier when needed to help patients and advance follow-up care if patients recovery falls short of expectations.
In a phone interview Bronwyn Spira, Force Therapeutics CEO and founder, said the deal brings the number of hospitals Force is working with to 24. Although the main thrust of the New York-based business has been the New York metropolitan region, it also works with the likes of Geisinger Health System and plans to add more hospitals in the Midwest later this year, based on current discussions.
“We are lucky in that with our market niche we can quickly prove value,” Spira said. “We are improving the patient experience and managing and improving outcomes — that’s a huge headache for most health systems.”
One feature of its program that Spira believes helps it stand out from rivals in this digital health subsector is the personalized approach it gives, such as when surgeons give the video overview explaining a patient’s procedure from the pre-surgical stage to the post-op recovery process. Patients receive this not from a nameless surgeon but from the surgeon who performs their surgery.
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
Although orthopedics has been the focus of Force Therapeutics, Spira said the company is looking to expand to support bundled payments program for cardiac care programs including acute myocardial infarction, coronary bypass graft surgery.
Last year, Force Therapeutics raised $2.5 million to support product development capabilities, fund expansion and grow its national footprint.
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