Hello All!
Where have we been? What have we been doing? What is going on?!?!?
Since we last posted, we’ve bulked up our treatment recommendation tool with a bunch of new features and more than doubled the number of clinics using our system. Most importantly, though, we rediscovered ourselves. In helping doctors serve their patients, we discovered a massive need that every physician faced; what happens to patients after they leave the clinic? That’s when the big vision for Flagler came into clear focus: the virtual vertical.
Back when I was working at the C-suite of a multi-disciplinary clinic, I tried to push us closer to adopting Value-Based Care (VBC). Unfortunately, this seemed feasible only through a joint venture (renting the same office space) with an orthopedic and physical therapy group, two separate specialties, coupled with the acquisition of a rheumatology practice in order to allow patients to see specialists at the right time. Not only was that super expensive and an operational nightmare, but the technological uplift required for a clinic to consistently prove cost savings simply didn’t exist. Hence the Musculoskeletal (“MSK”) Virtual Vertical was born.
What is a virtual vertical? So glad you asked.
It is a remote care platform that integrates medical providers – from physician therapist to orthopedic surgeon – into a vertically integrated health system.
Patients like remote care, and doctors want to provide comprehensive care to their patients while keeping costs low. That’s where Flagler comes in. By creating a centralized, in-network web of providers, we bring providers closer to their patients. For example, consider an athlete recovering from a torn ACL. Instead of her orthopedic surgeon referring her to an external physical therapist and losing contact with that patient thereafter, the patient would be referred to Flagler’s virtual physical therapist. Once the physician confirms Flagler’s recommendation, the patient receives a text with a link to a remote therapy session and the therapist has an appointment scheduled with the patient. The data updates the relevant information to a patient's records so stakeholders up and downstream can access the records. Through this process, the doctor is able to monitor the patient’s entire care journey even after she leaves the doctor’s office to full recovery, and the patient is able to engage with a provider at will.
Services are all billed to the patient’s insurance, and the payment is collected by the prescribing physician (the orthopedist who uses Flagler).
With Flager, the patient receives better care, the doctor is actively involved in the patient’s recovery, and the clinic is able to offer comprehensive treatments to the patient without incurring any additional expense.
This is the holy grail of end-to-end care in MSK (Physical Therapy, Interventional Pain, Orthopedics, Rheumatology)
* dotted lined indicates a service that hasn’t historically been provided by the physician
Imagine if a physician can offer an entire suite of virtual services and receive real-time updates on how their patients are doing.
Under this new virtual vertical, physicians will have full control and oversight of their patients as well as be able to bill directly for services they would have previously been unable to offer.
Why isn’t everyone doing this? Well, like anything in healthcare, there are a couple of challenges that keep the system fragmented, such as scaling, cost, & bi-directional technical integrations. Luckily, our triaging tool has given us an edge in execution.
If you’d like to talk healthcare, feel free to reach out.
Here’s another Fun Flag Fact:
South Africa's national flag is among the most vibrant, boasting a total of six distinct colors.