By: Nic Hayes
In 2025, healthcare costs are expected to increase by a staggering 8%. Now, more than ever, employers and plan sponsors must face the challenge of providing members with high quality benefits while containing costs. When it comes to containing costs, employers must address musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions, as they are a top-two spend for employers and the leading cause of global disability.
The Cost of Surgery
The reason why MSK conditions are a major cost driver for employers simply boils down to inappropriate care and unnecessary surgery. The rate at which unnecessary surgeries take place is astounding. More than 1 out of 2 surgeries for low back pain and 1 out of 3 surgeries for knee replacements have been deemed unnecessary. These unnecessary surgeries not only dramatically increase employer costs, but also out-of-pocket expenses incurred by employees. Additionally, employees have to bear the risk of any potential negative outcomes associated with inappropriate surgery.
Due to the costs and risks associated with unnecessary surgery, your employees need better access to the right kind of nonoperative, evidence-based, appropriate care. Enter Vori Health—a nationwide MSK solution making it easier for people in pain to get the right care at the right time. With a physician-led, virtual-first care model and an AI-powered platform, Vori conveniently connects employees experiencing pain to a holistic team of medical experts – including board certified physicians, physical therapists, dietitians, and coaches.
“Every year, hundreds of thousands of employees, friends, colleagues, and loved ones go to the operating room unnecessarily. What has become the standard of care is not only astronomically expensive, it also puts people at real risk for harm from infection, worsening symptoms, and even death. This is not medicine. This is not the care that our loved ones should receive.”
Vori Health co-founder and Chief Executive Officer
Access to Care When You Need It
Founded by two surgeons from Yale and Mayo Clinic, Vori changes how back and joint pain is treated. In 2024, Vori Health became the first and only MSK solution to offer nationwide physician-led care via a hybrid model of virtual and in-person offerings. Instead of bouncing around in the healthcare system, Vori patients connect directly with a physician-led care team—at the site of care that works best for each patient’s medical condition and personal preferences.
Improving access to appropriate MSK care is key to controlling costs and enhancing outcomes. Without convenient care options, employees with MSK conditions may delay seeking care, causing their symptoms to potentially escalate and spiral into more serious and chronic problems with ripple effects that could significantly impact other parts of their health. To underscore the value that Vori delivers by enabling access to appropriate MSK care, Mary O’Connor, MD, co-founder and Chief Medical Officer, added, “Without healthy movement, a vicious cycle of joint pain, immobility, obesity, and other co-morbidities begins. This cycle can devastate a person’s quality of life and cost employers hundreds of billions of dollars a year in healthcare expenses.” By meeting patients where they are, Vori drives exceptional outcomes that move people beyond pain and back to their lives.
As part of their end-to-end care model, Vori’s non-operative medical doctors remain at the helm of each care plan. They leverage results from in-person physical therapy visits or at-home PT sessions, which are powered by sensorless motion tracking technology, to monitor patient progress and tailor care plans as needed. Because of this attention to detail for each patient, Vori consistently achieves an average 85% treatment adherence rate – a threefold increase compared to traditional care. Additionally, Vori drives high patient satisfaction with an NPS of 82.
“While other companies may address part of the problem by increasing access to virtual physical therapy, these solutions are not driving the kind of value employers and health plans are looking for. To move the needle on cost and outcomes, a new holistic care model is required that combines physical therapy with medical doctors who can diagnose, treat, and triage appropriately. That is the only way to address the 40% most complex and expensive MSK conditions.”
Chief Commercial Officer
Appropriate, Evidence-Based Care
As the only nationwide solution led by board-certified physicians, Vori’s care teams offer the most comprehensive services to employees. They can provide patients with actual medical diagnoses, personalized care plans, non-opioid prescriptions, and order tests when needed.
In addition to being able to treat 40% more conditions, Vori is also able to help members get back to their lives faster through their focus on appropriate, evidence-based care. As a result, Vori is three times more effective at reducing surgeries than other companies. The numbers speak for themselves. Vori is solving the MSK needs of plan members, achieving 78% reduction in surgery and 64% clinically significant improvement in pain. Furthermore, Vori has twice demonstrated validated clinical outcomes through the Validation Institute with 91.6% of patients reporting pain improvement.
With a qualified team and personalized, evidence-based care plans, Vori delivers needed solutions to employees’ MSK conditions while eliminating unnecessary surgery. Ninety-seven percent of Vori members improve without surgery.
Less Surgery, Less Cost
With a reduction in unnecessary surgeries comes significant savings to the plan. Vori provides up to a 4:1 ROI with $3,200 in savings annually per member. On the savings that their solution provides, Ryan Schoenecker added, “There are a variety of ways you can attack the MSK spend issue for employers. Some have gone after unit cost strategies, like creating a narrow network, or requiring extensive pre-authorization. While these tactics lower spend for employers by a few hundred dollars per surgery, our clients prefer the larger savings that come with putting Vori in place. By eliminating the 78% of elective surgeries that aren’t necessary in the first place, we save our clients tens of thousands of dollars per case.”
All in all, Vori drives crucial savings for employers by providing superior access to appropriate, non-operative MSK care that truly delights members. In-person and virtually, Vori helps employees overcome pain so they can reach their goals, increase their overall health, and improve their happiness, engagement, and productivity. Everyone wins!
We are proud to feature Vori Health on the Granite List.