MSP Program Overview

How the Program Works | Facts You Need to Know | Participant Self-Management Strategy | National Guidelines | MSP Outcomes Reporting

How the Program Works

The Musculoskeletal and Pain (MSP) Program is designed specifically to parallel the most innovative clinical guidelines for pain management. This comprehensive approach to pain management can prevent unnecessary surgery, reduce the use of inappropriate medications and reduce expensive emergency room visits.

Our clinicians guide individuals through the challenges of pain management by identifying pain location and type through diagrams and assessments that help to identify the source of pain. Program interventions include evidence-based clinical measures that promote optimal functionality and early return to work. Preventing and resolving psychosocial issues that can worsen pain conditions is also integral to the program.

Our evidence-based approach utilizes nationally recognized guidelines to support all interventions. Specifically designed with the recurrent and intermittent nature of chronic pain in mind, the <MSP> program provides effective, timely interventions to reduce the effects of chronic pain conditions.

Benefits

The MSP Program offers the following key features and benefits that meet the needs of clients and participants:

• Reduces healthcare costs by identifying early “at risk” employees/members and educates them on how to manage their pain
• Reduces costs resulting from direct medical utilization
  • Education about appropriate interventions
  • Symptom clarification and education to prevent unnecessary therapies and surgeries
  • Management of emergency room overuse
  • 24/7 nurse access
• Reduces unnecessary diagnostic testing and procedures
  • Education about appropriate diagnostic testing and which procedures may be indicated
• Promotes shared decision-making with physician/participant in the care setting
  • Health trackers, pain drawing to share with physicians
  • Education about discussion of diagnostic testing results with physicians
  • Education about appropriate questions to ask physician
• Promotes adherence to treatment plan through education, counseling and support
• Reduces risk for future pain-related episodes and promotes more productive lifestyle

Packages

There are two condition packages: the Core Conditions Program and the Additional Conditions Program (listed in accordance with condition hierarchy sequence). The Core Conditions Program manages direct healthcare costs and the costs of lost productivity for broad populations. The Additional Conditions Program addresses functional capabilities and the productivity costs for participants with those conditions.

Core Conditions Program (Basic Program):

• Back Pain – includes neck, upper and lower back
• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Osteoarthritis
• Migraine Headache
• Tension Headache

Additional Conditions Program (Enhanced Program):

• Regional Musculoskeletal Disorders
• Repetitive stress injury or cumulative trauma disorder
• Elbow bursitis
• Lateral epicondylitis – tennis elbow
• Medial epicondylitis – golfer’s elbow
• Rotator cuff injury
• Carpal tunnel syndrome and similar wrist conditions
• Fibromyalgia

Facts You Need to Know

Americans spend at least $50 billion each year on low back pain, the most common cause of job-related disability and a leading contributor to missed work.1

One in four U.S. adults say they suffered a day-long bout of pain in the past month, and one in ten say the pain lasted a year or more.2 Musculoskeletal pain affects up to 85 percent of the working population at least once in their life and is the leading cause of workplace disability and the cause of one-third of all lost work claims. It ranks second only to headaches as the most frequent source of bodily pain, with the lower back being the most common area affected.

Participant Self-Management Strategy

Enrolled participants receive individualized telephonic coaching and education by expert clinicians. These clinicians encourage goal-setting and offer valuable support based on the details of the condition, the participant’s readiness to change and other factors. Strong prevention messaging and materials are included to encourage the use of the nurse line for acute exacerbations of chronic pain.

During telephonic interactions, participants are provided information on topics related to management of their chronic pain conditions. This includes: diagnostic tools and restorative therapies appropriate for each pain condition; teaching the importance of treatment plan compliance and persistence; advice on symptom management; and helping participants set targeted, realistic goals.

MSP interventions are based on established health behavior change models. The program emphasizes behavior change, reinforced through strategies such as:

• Self-management education
• Motivational interviewing
• Goal-setting
• Education on stages of change
• Self-efficacy building
• Pain relapse prevention

Prevention Program

Throughout the process, our clinicians offer emotional support that encourages a prevention program consisting of any or all of the following:

• Clarify the source of pain and provide education
• Promote appropriate interventions and therapies for musculoskeletal pain conditions
• Guide the appropriate plan of care for the best use of available resources
• Focus on increased functional capability to positively impact the productivity and the overall healing process
• Manage psychological and social factors that may impede positive results
• Prevent future exacerbation and new injury
• Clarify symptom(s), resulting in more effective utilization of clinical services

Alere’s clinicians help participants set incremental goals, overcome barriers and improve confidence in changing their behaviors. Under the guidance of our clinicians as well as our action-oriented print and online programs, participants learn key tools to improve their condition. This includes how body mechanics can improve pain, how they can avoid and remove aggravating factors, and how to modify sedentary behaviors.

Online Pain Management Program and Other Resources

In addition, participants receive ongoing access to Alere’s Online Pain Management Program. This program is personalized to address the unique needs of each participant. This Web-based, self-paced series of three online educational modules incorporates tools, trackers and resources that support participants’ overall health goals in managing and preventing pain.

National Guidelines

Healthcare cost reductions are associated with pain-related interventions. Alere’s MSP Program adheres to the guidelines of the following nationally recognized organizations such as:

• American Academy of Neurology
• The American College of Rheumatology
• The United States Preventative Services Task Force
• The Work Loss Data Institute
• Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement
• United States Preventive Service Task Force
• The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
• American Pain Society
• American College of Physicians
• National Headache Foundation

MSP Outcomes Reporting

Much of the program success is driven by the populations’ participation rates in the new program and the impact of the program on utilization and cost avoidance. You have the ability to measure the success of the program utilizing chronic pain performance indicators such as:

• Productivity measures (including missed days from work) via the Health and Productivity Assessment
• Universal and condition- specific performance indicators (including blood pressure, lipid, BMI, physical activity, etc.)
• The MSP Stratification Assessment
• Interventions by Condition Survey Data-SF-8 Quality of Life Survey
• Condition-specific measures supported by nationally recognized guidelines
• Healthcare cost reductions associated with pain-related interventions

Reporting integrates with Alere’s standard reporting package.