Navitus Partners with SWORD Health, Bringing Members Best-in-Class Musculoskeletal Solution

MADISON, Wis., September 28, 2021 – Navitus Health Solutions, a full pass-through pharmacy benefit manager (PBM), today announced its partnership with SWORD Health, the world’s fastest-growing virtual musculoskeletal care provider, to bring its best-in-class virtual MSK solution to Navitus’ clients and their plan members nationwide.

Musculoskeletal pain is the leading contributor to disability worldwide, with low back pain as the key driver of disability globally.1 In fact, 50% of U.S. adults live with a painful musculoskeletal condition, which costs the healthcare system approximately $237 billion per year.^1,2 Besides the financial impact, musculoskeletal pain decreases employee productivity, resulting in 34% of missed workdays.³ Navitus’ partnership with SWORD Health is a major expansion of its comprehensive suite of solutions to include clinical-grade care for the most complete range of musculoskeletal issues: preventative, acute, chronic and post-operative care.

“While traditional physical therapy can be effective, it can also be costly, inconsistent and inconvenient for many plan members. At Navitus, we believe there are more advanced ways to treat musculoskeletal pain,” said Julie Olson, DNP, MS, RN, CQIA, Vice President of Clinical Innovation at Navitus. “We’ve partnered with SWORD Health because they share our commitment to innovative solutions. We’re excited to offer our clients a world-class, digital musculoskeletal therapy solution that enables members to take control of their pain management.”

Navitus’ partnership with SWORD Health will help members overcome musculoskeletal pain by:

• Providing remote access to physical therapists who diagnose, educate and coach members to better health.
• Using sensor-based technology to give real-time feedback that is more accurate than human eyes.
• Treating all major points for chronic pain and post-surgical rehab so that everyone with musculoskeletal pain can get the help they need.

“Our mission is to free two billion people from physical pain, and this would not be possible without partners like Navitus,” said Virgílio Bento, Founder and CEO, SWORD Health. “Their out-of-the-box, next-generation thinking about pharmacy benefits shows that they understand the changing world of healthcare services. They are deeply invested in innovation and clinical efficacy which is the foundation of SWORD. Together, we will make the lives of members richer and more productive.”

To learn more about Navitus’ comprehensive suite of programs and services for plan sponsors and their members, visit www.navitus.com.

¹ Musculoskeletal conditions. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/musculoskeletal-conditions. Published November 26, 2019.
² Spending on disease treatment. Peterson-Kaiser Foundation Health System Tracker. https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/indicator/spending/spending-disease-treatment/. Published 2017.
³ Prevention of work-related musculoskeletal disorders. United States Department of Labor. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_id=4481&p_table=UNIFIED_AGENDA#:~:text=Statement%20of%20Need%3A%20OSHA%20estimates,of%20Labor%20Statistics%20(BLS)). Published 2014.

MORE ABOUT Julie Olson, DNP, MS, RN, CQIA

As a senior health care professional and doctoral prepared nurse, Julie brings nearly 30 years of diverse health care experience, including public health nursing, health outcomes research, public policy analysis and business development. She has served in a variety of roles at Navitus and was an integral member of the team that developed Lumicera Health Services, Navitus’ wholly-owned specialty pharmacy. Prior to joining Navitus, Julie was Associate Director at the Madison Birth Center and Health Policy Director at the Wisconsin Women’s Health Foundation.