Luna, a provider of in-home, in-patient physical therapy, has announced details of a new study, which showed that Luna Pathways, a comprehensive approach to postoperative care that includes monitored scheduling and clinical care coordination, decreases pain by 30% compared to industry benchmarks after total joint replacement.
Data was retrospectively reviewed from medical records of 456 patients from three Luna Pathways surgeons and three Non-Pathways surgeons already referring to Luna. Only patients who underwent a total hip or knee replacement surgery and subsequently received physical therapy from Luna in 2022 were included.
Through Luna Pathways, Luna’s clinical team is able to coordinate communication between therapists, patients, and the physician’s office to facilitate faster resolutions for medical escalations, which can reduce unnecessary and costly emergency care.
The study demonstrated that in the Luna Pathways patient group, pain is almost 30% less at discharge compared to industry benchmarks at 90 days post op, and patients’ range of motion is superior (knee flexion ROM 119.5 degrees Luna Pathways vs 114 degrees Non-Pathways vs 110 degrees industry).
Furthermore, care adherence was improved in the Luna Pathways groups as patients were 18% more likely to complete more than 10 visits compared to the Non-Pathways group (patients completed their full course of care when on Luna Pathways).
Additionally, costs were reduced due to preventing hospital readmissions and emergency department visits, as escalations are streamlined via established communication channels. Luna Pathways patients were also more satisfied with their post-surgical care and outcome, reporting a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 91.
“From pain reduction to adherence and satisfaction, the Luna Pathways program has proven to be an effective and efficient approach to managing care before and after surgery—all from the comfort and familiarity of a patient’s home. This, ultimately, prevents hospital readmissions and emergency department visits, which significantly reduces cost,” says Palak Shah, co-founder and head of clinical operations at Luna.
In a related, recent two-year study, Hoag Hospital showed that Luna’s in-home outpatient physical therapy care model reduces costs by 52% compared with traditional home health for total knee and hip replacements. Participating surgeons reduced their home health utilization by 86%, resulting in decreased blended costs of $2,517 per case. Patient outcomes also improved as readmission rates were reduced by 28%, compared with patients that received the traditional home health option.
